The Faded Gale
by NecroExplosion
Summary: A fan fiction that follows the life of Zephyrus, a Keyblade wielder of about Sora's age. The events of the story start towards the end of KH II and lead on an alternate timeline from there on. Each "chapter" is actually a kind of "part" to the story, and is over 50 pages. Part 3 is on its way soon.
1. Part 1

**Kingdom Hearts: The Faded Gale Part I**

Under each chapter heading there will be a link to music for atmosphere. Links mid-chapter are for music changes. Thanks to everyone who uploaded the videos! :) Quotes from the games are done from memory, so don't get annoyed at me if they aren't perfect! This website doesn't like the links, so I'll leave the watch ID, but you can't just click it. Don't worry- you're probably not missing out on much without the music.

 **Prelude: No Matter How Small**

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Every story needs a hero, however great or small- whatever they might be. Even if something, or someone seems far more important elsewhere, even the smallest deeds, require their hero.

The hero of our story has lived a modest life, and given recent events, his story is often forgotten. Now it is time to learn of one young man, he who saved all of the worlds from plunging into an eternal darkness... His name, not Sora- or any of those who we'd call a hero. The hero of our story is a 15 year-old boy called Zephyrus, or "Zeph", as he prefers.

Zeph, on the outside seems like a very normal person- about average height and weight. He has short, brown hair, and, though striking, fairly normal blue eyes. He dresses and acts as normally as a person can, too. It is only when you look deeper inside that we can see that Zephyrus is no normal boy, not at all.

"Another one... Seriously, what are these dreams about?"

Zephyrus may seem like a normal boy, but his origins, still unknown show us that he's a whole lot more...

His adventure starts, not with some great feat of strength, but with a dream. Ideas are a powerful force, often overlooked, but they are just as powerful as any tool for creating a hero.

Most people's' dreams are from the the person's own perspective, but the most powerful of all, are not from there, but from somebody else. If one can sleep and live through somebody else in that fantasy, that shows a great strength in their heart- a connection that can never be broken.

The most powerful thoughts are those from multiple perspectives, those which repeat, come back and continue themselves until all of their secrets are revealed. These are the dreams which create the hero of our story.

"Who are those people? And why am I dreaming about _them_? I don't think most people dream through somebody else's perspective..." Zephyrus is questioning his recent visions- he thinks visions like this are meaningless, but the dreams he has been having recently are the most powerful kind of all...

Zeph's recent visions have all started with a boy, one who always sees the good before the bad. Zephyrus sees a great deal of this boy's great achievements. A boy who saved the worlds from darkness, all because he wanted to save his friends. Zephyrus then sees 3 different people, friends who are torn apart by some battle. The dreams always vary somewhat, but the rough formula, and what happens at the end is always the same. A person in a cloak tells the boy that "This world has been connected." and the boy's shadow grows into a monster and attacks the boy.

These visions, in the past, felt distant from Zephyrus- but recently, they have felt much more involved, but it is one specific night where our adventure starts... During his summer holidays, Zeph's dreams start to become a nightmare...

"This world has been connected..." Those words echo through Zeph's head, along with some others- names: "Sora", "Riku", "Donald", "Goofy", "Ansem", "Aqua" and "Ventus". Those names don't account for everyone in his mind, so Zeph remains confused.

Zeph is standing on one of the stained-glass portraits that the other boy was in his dreams, but this one depicts him.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Zeph asks the void.

"All light casts a shadow, this is a balance which must not be tipped. Light will always be tempered with darkness..." A strange voice says.

"Who's there?" Zeph shouts into the void.

"The balance must be restored- but which path will you choose?" The voice says again.

"What's going on? Who are you?" Zeph asks again.

"Strength comes from your heart- but is that strength born of light or darkness?" The voice says, seeming more distant, now.

"Wait- please! Tell me what these dreams mean! I'm begging you!" Zeph cries out, but he is too late.

Strange creatures made out of darkness appear out of the mural Zeph is standing on, they move in to attack him.

"What? Help! Please!" Zeph shouts into the void.

Nothing.

"You're just going to let me be killed? Well... I just need to wake up, right?" Zeph dejectedly asks, realising he's asleep.

The creatures move in and one jumps at him...

"The time for watching has passed- you must learn to fight!"

These words are all that remain in Zeph's mind, and just before the creature strikes, he wakes...

 **Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

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"Gah! Ugh... What was that about?" Zeph asks, sitting bolt upright. He turns to look through his window, but could never expect what happened next... One of those creatures- the huge one which was that boy's shadow was looking right back at him. Zeph turns white with shock.

"Am I still dreaming? ...No... I'm awake... But how...?" Zeph is very confused. He looks back through his window and the creature seems to have disappeared.

"I'd better make sure that thing is gone..." Zeph thinks to himself as he gets dressed and hurries downstairs. It is very early in the morning, and the sun is just starting to rise above the horizon.

"Wow... The sunrise really does make Twilight town look pretty..." Zeph thinks as he half walks and half runs through his door, out through the back alley, and onto the Station Heights. Keeping a tight grip on his Struggle bat, Zeph goes around the corner and sure enough, the creature is standing there, waiting for him.

"Who... What are you?" Zeph shouts at this creature.

"Heartless" The word pierces into his mind.

The giant creature turns to face Zeph and looks at him. It brings back its giant hand, made completely out of darkness and begins to bring it down to punch, not Zephyrus, but the ground...

Where the creature's hand collides with the ground, a dark whirlpool-like mass appears and out of it, more, different creatures emerge from it- these ones much smaller. They move in to attack Zeph...

"Get back! All of you!" Zeph shouts at them, going into a fighting stance with his bat.

Holding his bat in both hands, Zeph waits for the creatures to come a little closer, before charging in for his own attack.

"Leave me alone!" Zeph shouts as he starts to attack one of the creatures.

"Huh? What's going on?" Zeph thinks to himself- no matter how hard he tries to hit the creature, his bat just goes straight through, leaving the creature completely unphased.

As all of the creatures move in for their attack, Zeph backs away, terrified.

"Courage is the key. If you can show your heart is strong, they will fall!" The voice from Zeph's dreams speaks to him- it seems old and very wise.

"Fine... If that how it's going to be... I should at least go down fighting!" Zeph thinks as he doubles back on running away and charges headlong into the creatures he is now sure are called "Heartless".

"Yah! Leave us all alone!" Zeph shouts as he goes all-out hitting one of the Heartless as hard as he can, just hoping something will happen.

As he jumps back to dodge an attack, Zeph drops his bat.

"No!" he exclaims, as it rolls away down the slope of the Station Heights, he turns towards his bat, then back to face the heartless and clenches his fists, flicking his wrists a little.

Zeph must shield his eyes as a blinding light comes from his hand and one word comes to his mind- "Keyblade". He looks to his hand, and sees a sword shaped into something resembling a key.

"What is going on?" Zeph thinks to himself, as he goes back into his fighting stance, holding the key in both hands, he charges back into the fray.

"Leave Twilight Town ALONE!" Zeph shouts, as he strikes one of the Heartless as hard as he can- he feels it force of the blow up his arms and hears the creature let out a slight sound, then it disappears into a black mist. Zeph smiles, weakly as he begins his attack on the rest of the smaller Heartless, defeating them one by one.

After vanquishing all of the smaller Heartless, Zeph turns to face the larger one, which has stood up fully again.

"I can fight you now! But if you leave, I won't need to destroy you!" Zeph calls out to the creature.

He can't tell whether or not it can even hear him, let alone understand him, but it doesn't seem to react to his words at all.

"Well... They can't seem to understand me, so... I guess actions speak louder than words!" Zeph thinks to himself and runs at the creature. The giant Heartless looks at him as he approaches, then it simply turns away from him, and disappears...

"I... did it... they're gone..." Zeph thinks, as he stops to catch his breath.

Suddenly he feels a pain in his back.

"Ouch!" Zeph can't help to let out a slight exclamation under his breath, as he turns to face his assailant...

There is nothing there...

"What? Where are you? Gah!" Zeph gets hit again, from his back.

He turns again, and looks down- one of the smaller Heartless has somehow fazed into the ground. He follows it with his eyes, as it moves around him, then comes out of the ground for another attack. Before it can hit him, he quickly delivers two hits to its head, and the creature is destroyed. Zeph turns to walk back home, but there is a huge pain in his chest. He drops his new weapon, which disappears in a flash of light and he collapses and sees a slight light leave his body. The light splits into many tiny triangular shards, and prisms out, into all the colours of the rainbow. Each shard is like a tiny mirror, reflecting, not what Zeph sees, but Zeph's memories back at him. Then, overcome by fatigue, Zephyrus can do nothing but fall into the realms of sleep...

 **Chapter 2: Loss**

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Zeph is standing on that same glass mural he was on before, but part of it has broken off...

"I'm here again? Where exactly _is_ here though? And why don't I feel like I'm asleep... This is, different..." Zeph think to himself.

"Your heart... It's like mine, isn't it?" A voice says- it is different from the other which has spoken to Zeph before- it is younger, but it seems hurt.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" Zeph asks.

"Oh, those are silly questions, aren't they? Look into yourself... Look around here- you can answer both of them". The voice says.

Suddenly a rush of pain shoots through Zeph's head and he remembers something, but it is not his own memory. He remembers the young woman from his dreams, one of the 3 friends who were torn apart, she is reaching out to the younger of her two friends- a boy who looks a little like Zeph. "Ven!" She shouts, and the vision stops.

"Your name... It's Ventus, isn't it? And this... Is this my heart?" Zeph asks.

"You're not bad, you know?" The voice says and continues, "Your heart has been shattered, just like mine has, but I can help you to wake up... Here..." The voice says, fading away somewhat.

Suddenly, the glass platform Zeph is standing on repairs itself in a huge flash of light.

"Looks like I owe you one, Ven..." Zeph says, as he starts to float upwards.

Zeph wakes up in his bed, but the atmosphere of Twilight Town seems different to before somehow... He gets up and is slightly nauseous for a moment, before regaining his composure, and hurrying downstairs- he knows what he has to do now.

"Ven... I'll get you your heart back..." Zeph says, holding his old good luck charm, which looks just like the "Wayfinders" that the 3 friends used.

Zeph hurries up to the Station, it is nighttime, and there is nobody around- Zeph is pleased that he doesn't have to explain himself, especially given he doesn't know how long he was asleep for. When he arrives, he sees something he had hoped he never would have to again...

"No... You're back?" Zeph mutters, as he sees the giant Heartless from before standing outside the Station... watching... waiting...

"What do you want with me?" Zeph asks the creature, but just as before, it doesn't even react to the sound of his voice.

"Fine." Zeph says, as it starts to walk towards him. Zeph tries what he did before to create that weapon- the Keyblade is its name, he thinks.

"Why isn't it working? Hello? Keyblade! I summon you! Abra-cadabra? Alakazam? Anything?" Zeph panics, as the weapon seems to elude him.

"Zephyrus- use the Keyblade! Now!" Zeph hears Ventus's voice again...

"I... Can't!" Zeph shouts.

"Hurry!" He hears Ventus's voice again.

The Creature is almost upon him now, and Zeph backs away, slowly.

"If you can't use your own right now... Then use mine, Zephyrus- but you need to learn" Ventus says, as a different Keyblade appears in Zeph's hands.

"There we go..." Zeph thinks, as he goes into his fighting stance again. He notices this new Keyblade is shorter than the one he used before, and the handguard is shaped almost as if it is supposed to be held backhand...

Zeph runs towards the giant Heartless, and hits its leg with all his might. He can't tell, but it doesn't look like the creature takes any damage. Slowly, the Heartless reaches down with its arm and swats Zeph away.

"Ouch!" Zeph exclaims as he is rolled over backwards on the hard brick floor.

Pulling himself upright, Zeph grabs the Keyblade again and looks at the Heartless.

It is on its knees, looking at the sky- the hole in its chest which is normally empty has a strange glow coming from it. Suddenly an orb of light shoots out of the Heartless's chest. Zeph manages to block it, but slides back from the force. The orb itself is reflected away and hits the Heartless's head, clearly dealing heavy damage. The creature gets up and reaches into the ground again- the dark whirlpool appears. Zeph rushes forwards and does his best to climb up the Heartless's arm. With great difficulty, Zeph manages to get up onto his enemy's shoulder, and smacks its head as hard as he can.

The Heartless staggers, and Zeph falls off. The beast is still standing, but looks hurt. The smaller Heartless which appeared move in and attack Zeph, who is able to fend them off, just about. The giant Heartless raises its arm to strike, and Zeph runs out of the way, dodging the huge punch. The blow creates a shockwave, which knocks Zeph to the floor, but as he falls, Zeph throws the Keyblade at the creature's hand.

The Heartless raises its arm, but its hand doesn't come back. A dark mist suddenly starts to rise from the creature's body, and it fades away.

The Keyblade disappears from the floor Ven's voice speaks again:

"Now, practice summoning your own."

Zeph reaches his arm forward, flicks his wrist up and closes his hand, and sure enough, his Keyblade appears this time. Zeph opens his hand to drop the key, and it falls to the ground, but then reappears in his hand shortly after.

"How do I?" Zeph asks.

"If you want it to disappear, you need to will it to leave. Just dropping it won't work" Ventus tells Zeph. Zeph closes his eyes and concentrates, opening his hand- the sword disappears in a flash of light.

"I did it!" Zeph thinks to himself, and tries both steps again a few times.

"It looks like you've got it Zephyrus. Now go!" Ventus speaks again.

Suddenly another rush of pain shoots through Zeph's head, and he remembers Ventus throwing his Keyblade, and it turning into some kind of hoverboard. Ventus then hits a button on his shoulder guard and becomes fully clad in armour, jumps onto the hoverboard and flies through a portal it creates. The vision ends, and Zeph knows what to do.

He throws his Keyblade, and sure enough, it boomerangs around and becomes some form of flat glider shaped like a B-2 bomber, but it careers forwards into Zeph, knocking him over, painfully.

"How do I get that armour?" Zeph asks as he pulls himself up, rubbing his head.

"Look into your heart... Only there can you find the key..." The old, wise voice speaks again.

Zeph closes his eyes and looks up, opening his heart. A flash of light appears around him and when he opens his eyes, he is clad in armour similar to what Ventus wore in the vision, but it feels somewhat spectral, as if it come from a different plane of existence.

"Okay... Let's give this a try..." Zeph thinks, as he climbs into his glider, lying forward to hold the handles and put his feet into the slots for them. He looks forward, and wills his Keyblade to create a portal. A beam of light emerges from the point in the centre of his Keyblade glider, and creates a portal. Zeph slowly flies forward, and through the portal into the unknown beyond...

 **Chapter 3: Progress**

(No music intended)

On the other side of the portal, Zeph looks around, he is surrounded by vast amounts of nothingness, with some worlds scattered across it.

"Welcome to the Lanes Between, Zeph- I'm tired now, so I'm going to go back to deep sleep. Good luck remember- you can always pull through, so long as you believe in yourself." Ven's voice speaks once more, but Zeph now feel cut off from him.

"Oh!" Zeph winces as another sting of pain rushes through his head.

The vision he has this time is of Ventus moving towards and landing on one of the worlds- the Dwarf Woodlands. Suddenly, Zeph has his route through all of the worlds set out for him. He goes to the Dwarf Woodlands, too and prepares to land...

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Once he is on the ground, Zeph's armour disappears, but he notices... Something is missing...

"Wait... No? Why can't I... Remember... _Anything?_ I fell asleep, but what happened before then? What was that light?" So many questions cross Zeph's mind, as he realises what he left behind. When his heart was broken to pieces, those shards of light he saw- were those his memories escaping from him?

"Well... I guess it could be worse- I still have the Keyblade..." Zeph thinks to himself, as he looks around him.

He has landed near a mine of some sort, and he can hear something from within.

"Is that... Fighting? I'd better go to investigate." Zeph runs towards the entrance of the mine, worried that the Heartless have spread here, too.

After going through a short tunnel, Zeph comes out into a fairly open space and looks around him.

"The fighting sounds close now" Zeph thinks. Then, surely enough, a young man comes around the corner being tailed by many Heartless. He shouts at the Heartless:

"Why are there so many of you? I can't... Leave me _alone_!"

"Sir! Are you okay?" Zeph shouts, summoning his Keyblade and charging into the fray.

"You aren't safe here, you need a weapon like mine to be able to fight them!" Zeph tells the man and looks around to see him holding a Keyblade, too.

"Well... That's a lucky find! Let's take these fools down together!" The man shouts.

The two of them work together and quickly defeat all of the Heartless nearby, getting a short breather to introduce one another.

"Hello, I'm Zephyrus- call me Zeph!"

"Mmm... My name is Lezalit- who taught you to fight?"

"Umm... I don't think anybody did- why do you ask?" Zeph replies, taken aback.

"You're talented, but clearly not experienced- no matter, right now there are more important matters." Lezalit reflects.

"So... What's going on? Why are you here, Laz? May I call you that?" Zeph asks.

"Hrm... I guess so... I am here to clear a foul darkness which has spread to these lands. I tracked it to this mine, but I can't pinpoint the source of it." Laz says, as if wanting to be rid of Zeph.

"You mind if I help you? I think I can feel something from over there... Besides, we make a great team, right?" Zeph is enthusiastic about meeting somebody who could help him.

"Are you sure? It is dangerous here... Should you not be learning with your master?" Laz asks Zeph.

"Master? What do you mean? I'm from Twilight Town- I've never seen anybody there with a Keyblade..." Zeph is a little confused- he doesn't know about traditional Keyblade wielder training.

"You're completely self-taught, then? I wonder why nobody noticed you had The Gift... No matter- if you can see where this darkness is coming from, I'll follow you for now. I'll explain everything once we're done taking it out." Laz says, gesturing for them to move on.

"Okay, I think it's coming from this direction" Zeph tells Laz, walking on.

After a little while of moving on, and some more fighting of Heartless, Laz and Zeph reach their destination.

"What _is_ that?" Zeph asks Laz.

"It is a tear in the fabric of this world, connecting it to the Realms Of Darkness. Through it, Heartless can appear here with exceptional ease. If we're able to seal it, the Heartless will have a much harder time of coming to this world, meaning attacks will only be likely when a Keyblade wielder is present." Laz tells Zeph "It is my mission to seal these tears which have appeared in many of the worlds."

"How do we fix it?" Zeph wonders aloud.

"Simple- like you'd lock a door with your Keyblade- just point at it with your key. It knows what to do- it's one of the reasons they were made. A weapon capable of passing any threshold, so long as the wielder's will is strong enough." Laz tells Zeph, summoning his Keyblade and pointing it at the tear. Suddenly, a giant pickaxe appears from the tear, along with a human-shaped Heartless.

"Things can never be easy! Of course not!" Laz shouts, going into a fighting stance.

Zeph summons his Keyblade, too and readies himself for combat.

The Heartless starts by rushing at the two Keyblade wielders and delivering a wide slash with its pickaxe. Both Laz and Zeph manage to dodge the attack, and Laz feints in for a few strikes of his own.

The Heartless kicks him back, then smashes down with its pickaxe. Laz manages to dodge the actual attack, but the end of his trousers get caught on the pickaxe, which is stuck in the ground, rending him immobile.

Zeph charges in and attacks with as much vigour as he can. The Heartless kicks Zeph back after a few hits, then pulls its pickaxe up, freeing Laz, but also enabling itself to attack again. The Heartless brings its weapon up to strike Zeph, but Laz runs and jumps forward, slicing the creature through the middle. The beast is clearly weakened by this, so Zeph jumps up and strikes. The weakened Heartless falls to the floor and fades away, a heart rising up from it. Its pickaxe remains there on the ground.

"There we go... Would you like to do the honours, Zeph?" Laz asks Zeph.

"Nah- it's your mission, so you can." Zeph replies.

Laz stands square on, facing the tear, and points his Keyblade at it. The tip of the Keyblade starts to glow, and a beam of light is released, sealing the tear up.

"Laz!" Zeph shouts running to protect his friend. The pickaxe itself was a Heartless, too, and has started to float in order to attack them.

"Really? A living pickaxe? You have to be kidding me..." Zeph says, as Laz is turning around, to see what's going on.

"Thunder!" Laz shouts, and a bolt of lightning strikes the Heartless, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Woah! How did you do that?" Zeph asks, as he moves in for the finishing blows on the Heartless.

"Oh... You don't even know about magic yet? You really must not have been taught at all..." Laz is surprised at Zeph's ignorance.

The two of them quickly finish off the lone Heartless, and prepare to move on.

"I owe you some answers, don't I?" Laz asks Zeph.

"I wouldn't say 'owe', but I would like some info on everything..." Zeph tells Laz.

"Okay, then- this could take a little while... So, to start- the Heartless. Heartless are creatures made from pure darkness which follow one goal- to collect hearts. They are divided into two main types: Emblem Heartless and Pureblood Heartless. Pureblood Heartless, like the shadow, are usually weaker than the Emblem Heartless, as they do not contain a heart harvested by the Heartless. Pureblood Heartless are always dark in colour and often have abilities to do with phasing into and out of a solid form. Emblem Heartless are often more colourful and powerful that Pureblood Heartless, as they do contain a heart. The strength of an Emblem Heartless depends on the total power of the heart- or hearts put into it. Emblem Heartless have a wide variety of abilities, too.

Now, the Keyblade is a weapon created to try to keep the balance between light and darkness. They are capable of opening or closing any lock and will follow their master to the end. Keyblade wielders can all cast magic, but you don't have to be a keyblade wielder to use magic, assuming you're trained. Most hearts display a certain affinity for one particular element of magic, however- not all hearts do. My favoured element is lightning, but some people have an affinity for fire, ice, light, gravity and some, darkness...

My mission... Our mission as keyblade wielders of light is to prevent darkness from swallowing up the worlds. Right now, for me, that means finding and sealing up all of the tears in the worlds." Laz tells Zeph everything he needs to know.

"Do you want me to help you? With the tears, I mean- I can close up all of the ones on the path I'm already heading on, and a few more, if you like." Zeph says.

"You would do that for me? Okay, well- we have an even split if you deal with The Land Of Dragons, as well as all of the other worlds you wanted to visit." Laz tells Zeph.

"It's a deal! I'll do my best to help you out, Laz!" Zeph tells Laz.

"Thanks Zeph, I mean it. Remember, if you need to tell me something, just use your Wayfinder, okay?" Laz makes sure Zeph knows.

"I've got it. Let's go, then." Zeph says, and wishes his new friend goodbye.

"An unbreakable connection... I hope she was right..." Zeph mutters under his breath, looking at his wayfinder, just before he leaves the world, remembering one of his dreams about the three friends.

Zeph opens another portal and returns to the Lanes between, ready to head to the next world on his schedule- The Castle Of Dreams...

 **Chapter 4: An Unbreakable Connection**

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When the flash of light from landing disappears, Zeph looks arounds his new environment, eager to continue his quest. He is in a room, but something doesn't seem right.

"Is this? No way..." Zeph thinks as he contemplates his surroundings. "Why am I so small? Oh well- I guess I'd better deal with it and move on".

Zeph focuses and attunes himself to the source of the darkness in this world, and sets off towards it.

He quickly realises a major issue with his plan- there is no way he could open the door at his current size.

"How do I get out of here?" Zeph questions as he continues to look around.

"Ah-ha!" Zeph notices a mouse hole in a corner of the room which leads into the wall.

"Hopefully I'll be able to get through here through there..." Zeph thinks as he runs towards the possible way forward.

When he reaches the entrance to the mouse hole, he notices a sound coming from inside it.

"Who's there?" Zeph shouts, summoning his Keyblade, ready to fight.

"Ven-ven? It has been long-long since I saw you!" A voice calls out from inside the area, which Zeph assumes must be the one who created the hole.

"Do you know Ventus? What's your name?" Zeph asks, as he enters the mouse hole.

"Ven-ven! Ven-ven? Who are you? I am Jacques, of course I know Ven-ven!" The mouse replies.

"My name's Zephyrus- call me Zeph-" Zeph starts to say.

"Where is Ven-ven? Do you want to meet Cinderellie? Why are you here, Zeph-zeph?" The mouse interrupts him.

"Cinder-ellie? You mean 'Cinderella', right? No, not really- right now I'm trying to find something... Although I'd be happy to meet Cinderella once I've found it." Zeph says, quickly, so that the mouse doesn't lose patience and interrupt him again.

"Find something? Jacques knows where _everything_ in The Chateau is, so Zeph-zeph is sure to find it!" The mouse is clearly excited to be helping Zeph out.

"Okay then- Jacques... I'm looking for a tear- where the world itself seems to break open. Do you know where that is?"

"A tear...?-" The mouse starts to say...

"What was that?" Zeph asks, but he knows what it was really. He turns around, summoning his Keyblade.

"Heartless! Jacques- get back!" Zeph shouts, readying himself for a fight.

There aren't many Heartless to fight- it seems almost as if they are reluctant to appear at this size in this place.

"I think it-" Zeph starts to say.

"Let's go! Zeph-zeph is good!" Jacques interrupts again.

The mouse runs off, and Zeph has to run to keep up, asking Jacques to slow down, but is ignored.

The two of them make their way through a few rooms and some more mouse holes before reaching a larger one.

"The darkness is nearby here... I just hope nobody comes into this room before I close it off." Zeph thinks.

"Zeph-zeph! The tear is over there! You see?" Jacques tells Zeph, pointing at a small crack in the mirror on a dresser.

"He must not have known what I meant... Oh well." Zeph thinks.

"Thanks Jacques! It is dangerous here, so please, wait in the mouse hole until I come back." Zeph tells Jacques.

"Really?" The mouse looks disappointed.

"Really... I'm sorry, but I don't want to put you in danger." Zeph says, wondering whether or not Heartless would attack a mouse.

"Well... If you're sure- Zeph-zeph is strong! He will be able to stop the danger!" Jacques says, suddenly happy again.

"I'll be back soon- if those creatures from before attack you, don't try to fight- just run." Zeph is concerned , but quietly confident.

As Jacques runs off, Zeph turns into the room where they were standing.

"The tear is definitely here, but where is it in here?" Zeph thinks looking around the room.

"Maybe Jacques was right..." Zeph thinks, as he heads over to the dresser.

Suddenly some Heartless appear in his way.

"Looks like I'm heading in the right direction after all!" Zeph thinks, as he fights through the Heartless.

Once he reaches the mirror, a closer look at the crack shows something hidden behind it. There is that same, strange whirling darkness that the previous tear had in it.

"There you are!" Zeph thinks, summoning his keyblade to close the tear.

As if from nowhere, a huge mass of darkness rushes out of the tear, pushing Zeph back.

"Woah!" Zeph exclaims, as he is thrown over the edge of the dresser.

He manages to land on his feet, and, catching his breath, he looks up.

"Really? A giant one?" Zeph asks, annoyed "Wait... no- you're just making me fight a normal-sized, normal heartless at the size of a mouse... imaginative..." Zeph thinks.

The Heartless in question is a Shadow, incidentally one of the weakest Heartless there are- could it be that a tear so small cannot create beings as powerful as the larger ones?

Zeph struggles against his huge enemy, which doesn't seem to have any special abilities- it is just a normal shadow... Eventually manages to defeat it after a lot of shenanigans involving the Heartless disappearing into the floor. Almost as soon as the shadow falls, he is confronted by a second Heartless.

"Really?" He asks, readying himself to fight his new adversary, a Soldier this time. It does its best to kick Zeph, but clearly Heartless aren't designed to fight beings this small.

Once he finally defeats the normal-sized Heartless, Zeph hurries up to the tear and closes it.

"It's a shame I can't fix the mirror..." Zeph thinks, as he turns to go back to where he left Jacques.

"Wait- what was that?" Zeph wonders- he heard a very low-pitched sound almost like speaking from beyond the door. Shortly after, the handle starts to turn.

"That... Probably isn't good..." Zeph thinks, hurrying into cover, as a full-sized person comes through the door.

"What's this?" They say, running towards where Zeph is hiding. Zeph is able to get a closer look at the person now. She is a very ugly fairly young woman.

"That useless Cinderella! She's scratched this mirror as she was cleaning it!" The woman shouts.

Zeph assumes it would be a very bad idea to let himself be seen now, so he slips deeper into his hiding place- in between two books.

After a little wait, he sees the woman storm off in a huff, no doubt going to scold Cinderella.

Suddenly a rush of pain shoots through Zeph's head, as another vision enters his mind.

He remembers, first, Ven helping Jacques to make Cinderella a dress. The the other young man from the three friends... His name seems to have been etched away, replaced by hatred for somebody called "Xehanort". The young man sees Cinderella sitting, crying in a ruined version of the dress that Ven and Jacques made her. Next, Zeph sees Cinderella running away from some kind of party, wearing a completely different dress. One of her slippers falls off, but she doesn't go back to get it.

Finally, he remembers some men asking after a woman who wore a glass slipper from the perspective of the young woman from the three friends... "Aqua" was that her name?

When Zeph's vision ends, it feels more like waking up from a bad dream than coming back after recalling a memory. He is kneeling down, and was clearly clutching his head.

"These are getting worse... I guess they're useful, I just hope they don't get too bad..." Zeph thinks as he walks back towards the mouse hole.

"There we go, Jacques, I fixed it." Zeph says to the mouse, as he enters the mouse hole.

"Zeph-zeph do good-good! Now we go see Cinderellie?" Jacques replies.

"If she's open for visitors- sure!" Zeph hopes Cinderella might know more about Ventus or any of it, really.

"Then we will go!" Jacques says, as he turns around and dashes off.

"Never a chance to have a rest, huh?" Zeph asks, but the mouse has no ears for idle chatter, so Zeph hurries after Jacques.

Once they reach Cinderella's room, Zeph waits politely at the entrance.

"Why you stopping Zeph-zeph?" Jacques is surprised.

"I thought it would be rude to just go in there unannounced. This is her room and I don't know her..." Zeph says- the mouse clearly doesn't know about politeness or chivalry.

"I will tell Cinderellie you are coming, Zeph-zeph!" Jacques says, as he speeds out into Cinderella's room.

"Well I guess it was a bit much for a talking mouse to be polite, too... Oh well- who else would tell her?" Zeph thinks, sitting down for a quick rest.

"Zeph-zeph! I have told Cinderellie and now you come!" Jacques insists, grabbing Zeph's arm and trying to drag him up.

"Hey! I- Woah!" Zeph shouts, as the two of them topple out of the mouse hole and onto a wardrobe.

"Ouch! Jacques, seriously... I can get myself up..." Zeph says, rubbing his head, and pulling himself upright. "Jacques? Are you OK?" The mouse is still lying there, motionless.

"Don't you play games with me! Get up!" Zeph says, moving to help the mouse up.

"Boo!" Jacques shouts, just as Zeph reaches him. "Ha! I got you! Zeph-zeph is a scaredy mouse!".

"I'll show you what a not-so-scaredy cat looks like if you aren't careful, mister." Zeph says, giving the mouse a slight knock. The two of them head off into the room to see Cinderella.

Once they arrive, Cinderella is sitting on her bed, curled up. Zeph and Jacques down from the end table onto her bed.

"Cinderellie! I brought Zeph-zeph!" Jacques blurts out, excited for his two friends to meet.

"Oh, you did? Where is he?" She asks. Zeph touches her hand lightly, as if to ask for her to let him stand on it.

"Why hello there, little man... Why are you so small?" Cinderella asks, as she let's Zeph onto her hand and brings him up to her face.

"Hello Cinderella! My name's Zephyrus- call me Zeph! I have no idea why I'm so small, normally I'm about normal size..." Zeph introduces himself.

"Oh- well I always wondered what it would be like to be a mouse." She says.

"Well, being the size of a mouse is fairly similar to being normal size, it's just a bit more difficult to get around a house made for big people. Anyway I was wondering- you saw Ventus, didn't you?" Zeph asks, anxious to learn what he can, and then move on.

"Why yes, Ventus was a lot like you- small, at least. Why do you ask?" Cinderella doesn't know anything about the issues of the worlds, despite being one of the seven princesses of heart.

"It's just... I owe him something and I need to find him. Even if you don't know where he has gone, any information you have on people who wield a weapon like this" Zeph summons his keyblade, and continues, "would be much appreciated."

"Well... I saw 3 people a while ago... There was Ventus, another young man- older than him- called Terra. Let me think... Oh yes! There was a young woman called Aqua, too." Cinderella had seen all three of the friends.

"How long ago was this?" Zeph asks- he knows time is not consistent between worlds, he doesn't know how much time will vary.

"Let's see... Maybe a month or two ago?"Cinderella says

"Only a month? Wow..." Zeph thinks given how long it has been overall.

"Did you know where any of the 3 were headed?" Zeph asks.

"Ventus said he was looking for his friend... I'm not sure about the other two. Although Terra told me that dreams are a powerful force, and that I should never stop dreaming." Cinderella says, somewhat vacantly, clearly trying to remember more.

"Well... Thank you so much, Cinder-" Zeph starts to say, but is interrupted by a loud knock on the front door of the Chateau.

"Who could that be?"Cinderella asks, as Jacques dashes off to see who it is.

Suddenly, Zeph remembers the final part of his last vision.

"It's the prince again!" They can hear somebody shouting from downstairs.

"They're still looking for who that slipper fits, Cinderella..." Zeph says, somewhat accusingly.

"What do you mean?" Cinderella says.

"You... He's looking for you, that slipper is yours, is it not?" Zeph says.

"Why, yes, how do you know that?" Cinderella is shocked.

"I... I'm not sure, somehow I have the memories of other people as well as, agreeably not many of my own." Zeph tells her.

"I wish... I wish I could go down there to try on that slipper and show the Prince I'm who he's looking for." Cinderella says.

"You can. No matter how much your family tries to stop you, the prince won't. Remember what Terra said about dreaming. To dream is great, but what really sets a person out as amazing is if they can make those dreams a reality, Cinderella. There's no reason you shouldn't be allowed to at least try on that slipper, so go!" Zeph encourages her.

"Maybe you're right..." Cinderella is reluctant.

"Cinderella. Think for a moment- your life here is clearly a misery. This is probably your last chance, you'd be mad not to take it. It is up to you and only you to make your dreams an actuality. I'm no fairy godmother, but I think I can see what's right." Zeph continues to pry.

"Yes. You're right, thank you Zeph. I can bring you and Jacques with me, and we can have a happy life from now on." Cinderella says, getting up.

"That's the idea! Go!" Zeph shouts, as Cinderella puts him down and moves towards the door.

"I shan't be long." She says, leaving the room. By now Jacques is back.

"Zeph-zeph! You very good-good!" Jacques says.

"Thanks... I'm sorry Jacques..." Zeph says, failing to bring himself to look at the mouse.

"What do you mean you're sorry? Zeph-zeph do very good!" Jacques is very confused.

"I... I have to go from here- possibly forever and even if I do try to come back, I doubt I'll be able to find you or Cinderella again." Zeph says, still failing to look at Jacques.

"Well Zeph-zeph- you pursuing your dreams, right?" The mouse says, evidently a little disappointed, but not unhappy in any major way.

"Yeah... I'll be doing that. Because I'm the only one who can make them come true, right?" Zeph says, encouraged by the mouse's reaction.

"Right! Zeph-zeph can make all of his dreams come true!" Jacques says, cheerfully.

"You tell Cinderella she might not see me again, and that I hope she has a better life from now on, okay?" Zeph asks, as he puts his armour on, and readies his keyblade glider.

"Wow! Zeph-zeph changed a lot! Jacques will tell Cinderellie!" Jacques says, still cheerful.

"Goodbye Jacques, you're a great mouse, you know that? You enjoy yourself, too. I'll do my best to come see you again, but until then, just remember- so long as we remain in one another's heart, we can never be torn apart. You'll always be my friend- remember that." Zeph says, as he starts to move away on his glider, towards the open window.

"Zeph-zeph will always be my friend, too! Buh-bye Zeph-zeph! See you soon!" The mouse shouts after Zeph.

Once he is through the window, Zeph speeds up his glider and creates a portal just out of line of sight. Blinking tears out of his eyes, he goes forward, back into the Lanes Between, eager to continue his quest...

 **Chapter 5: An Unexpected Partnership**

watch?v=wyAl7WOM8FQ &ab_channel=DanielA

Once Zeph lands in his next world- the Enchanted Dominion, he looks around him. He is in a dark and craggy area with a path which seems to lead somewhere.

"This is not at all like the memories I have of it... Oh well- it doesn't feel like I'm too far from the tear here." Zeph thinks, as he gets his bearings and starts to follow the path.

A slight tingle rushes through his mind, as he remembers, not through a vision, just a fact- he is going to Maleficent's castle.

"Maleficent... The dark fairy- I hope she isn't home, otherwise things could get complicated" Zeph thinks, as he hurries up to try to minimise the time he stays in this dangerous world.

Once he reaches the doors to the castle Zeph looks around.

"What do you think you're doing, little boy- Lady Maleficent is not takin' visitors right now!" A voice speaks from on top of the wall. Zeph looks up to see a strange bird-like creature with a bow looking down at him.

"Oh- I have urgent business, could I please come in?" Zeph asks the creature, hopefully.

"Well, no. I don't think so. You could try agin' later- I can put you on the audience list, if you like." The birdman replies.

"Pretty please? I could give you some munny or... Ask Maleficent about improving conditions for her workers. I mean... I'm coming through this door whether or not you let me." Zeph says, casually, not trying to seem hostile or intimidating.

"No, you aren't comin' through this door. It's locked up tight and completely indestructible."

"I'm not? Well that's news to me!" Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade and continues, threateningly, "Let me through the door."

"Ha! You think you can beat us with that... thing? We're the best soldiers in the kingdom!" The gatesman scoffs.

"Look, I don't want to hurt anybody. You're all in danger in that castle if I can't come in. There is something in there which only I can fix. If I can't fix it, then only disasters will unfold." Zeph says, doing his best to persuade the gatesman, continuing with "You don't want to be responsible for letting Maleficent be killed, do you?"

"Well... I guess not, I'll ask 'bout lettin' you in, but I don't think it's likely you'll be let in." The gatesman says, turning to walk away. "And don't you dare try to break in while I'm not here!"

"Don't worry! I won't!" Zeph shouts after the rather peculiar creature.

"If Heartless attack the castle from the inside they'll be done for... Please hurry, little crow thing..." Zeph thinks, sitting down.

After a reasonably short wait, the gatesman returns, holding some kind of crystal orb.

"Well, boy? What do you want here?" The orb speaks with an awe-inspiring female voice which Zeph assumes is that of Maleficent.

"Oh, Lady Maleficent- I come bearing a message with dire news about an impending disaster. Your castle, your life and your livelihood are all in danger!" Zeph says, trying to be as polite as possible.

"What is your name, boy?" Maleficent asks.

"My name is Zephyrus, your evilness. I request an audience with you as soon as possible." Zeph says.

Maleficent laughs- "Do you think this is some kind of game? Of course I'm in danger if I let some unknown boy into my castle. Fortunately for you, I have guards. Let him in, but keep at least four guards to his person and tie his hands whilst you're at it." Maleficent says.

"Thank you dearly, your evilness." Zeph says. He wait obediently four pig-like people come out, bind his hands with a rope, and take a hold of him to show him to Maleficent's throne room.

Once they arrive, they are joined by even more guards. Maleficent is currently facing away from the party.

"Lady Maleficent, ma'am the offender in question has be brought to audience." The largest of the pig-men, wearing the most decorated outfit says.

"Good, good." Maleficent says, turning around, "Ah, yes- Zephyrus, was it? Well? What is your message? Guards, leave us!" She continues.

Once the guards have left, the rope around Zeph's wrists burns away.

"You... Why did you free me like that?" Zeph asks.

"I think I know why you're here." Maleficent says, creating a circle of flames around Zeph.

"You do? Well, Maleficent. I'm not here to harm you in any way. Your actions in the past might have been evil, but you were deceived, so I forgive you." Zeph says.

"What, boy? How do you know of that?" Maleficent says.

Zeph summons his keyblade in a non-hostile way. "I just do- anyway, as it happens, I need your help."

" _You-_ a Keyblade wielder need _my_ help? Is this some cruel joke?" Maleficent is skeptical.

"Well, Maleficent, you are very experienced with darkness... and I think I might need to know how to protect myself against it. Also I need to learn how to wake up." Zeph says, somewhat unhappily.

"What do you mean 'wake up?'" Maleficent scoffs.

"Well- you sent Princess Aurora to sleep, right? Surely you must know how to wake people up from sleep like that, right?"

"I don't understand- you're clearly awake right now... In any case... I will help you." Maleficent says.

"You will?" Zeph is very surprised.

"'Tis as they always say- 'The enemy of your enemy is your friend' as of right now, I should help you. If I let Xehanort destroy all worlds, there won't be any left for me to conquer." Maleficent says.

"I'm sorry... If you do help me, I might use those very strategies you teach me against you in the future." Zeph says.

"Don't worry, boy, politics change with time, that is just a fact. However, I will not let you close the tear." Maleficent says.

"You won't? Why not? So long as-" Zeph starts to say.

"Do you have any idea the power that tear enables me to have? With it, after you defeat Xehanort, that power will be mine to use." Maleficent says.

"Maybe so, but you know I have to close that tear as a part of my mission, right?" Zeph says.

"Well, you can help me learn to control the power coming out of it. That will be the bargain for me helping you. You shall let me keep my tear and this world as mine, no matter what." Maleficent says.

"I guess I'll do my best to uphold that bargain, but how can you teach me resistance to darkness?" Zeph asks.

"I cannot- you must simply be exposed at a controlled level." Maleficent says.

"So you want to fight me? What do you think I am?" Zeph says, a little hostility in his voice.

"Watch your tone with me, boy- I could kill you any moment I wish. If you want me to help you, the only way would be a prac-" Maleficent starts to say, but is interrupted by a strange mass of darkness appearing in the room.

"Gah! The audacity these beasts have! Destroy them, boy, or face my wrath!" Maleficent commands Zeph.

"What do Heartless even want with my Keyblade?" Zeph thinks, as the dark flames around him clear, and he sets to work fighting back all the Heartless.

Once Zeph has defeated all of the Heartless, Maleficent gets up from her throne and beckons him to follow. They walk for a little while, before reaching a huge, empty room.

"This room would be perfect-" Zeph starts to say.

"Here is where our fight will be staged." Maleficent says, but Zeph has run off towards one end of the room.

"Here's the tear, how am I supposed to close it without her noticing?" Zeph thinks.

"If you even think about closing that tear, boy, I will make you wish you were never born." Maleficent says, in her normal tone.

"So we fight here? How do I know you won't kill me?" Zeph asks- he is still not entirely sure of Maleficent, given her actions in the past.

"You'll just have to trust me..." Maleficent laughs, slightly manically. Her body starts to emanate a faint blackness. "Behold! The po-" Suddenly a dark tendril appears from the tear, and grabs a hold of Maleficent. Her eyes glaze over, and darkness seeps out of her towards the tear.

"Maleficent!" Zeph shouts, as he jumps forward and slices the tendril clean in two with his keyblade. The fairy collapses, and Zeph quickly and carefully moves her to somewhere safe, and turns to face the tear.

"I know you're going to try and stop me..." He says to the tear, as he walks towards it, already in a fighting stance. Sure enough, as he approaches the tear, a huge amount of darkness seeps out and starts to condense into a solid form.

"You stole some of her power, didn't you? This could get complicated..." Zeph says under his breath.

The darkness finishes forming a giant husk which looks something between a dragon and a giant dog, then a slight light appears from the tear, and a glow envelopes the husk. The Heartless emblem appears on the chest of the beat, and it solidifies with a huge roar. The creature runs at Zeph and hits him with a massive paw, sending him flying across the room.

"Gah! How am I supposed to do this alone?" Zeph thinks, as he lands hard on his side, rolling along a little way.

"An unbreakable connection!" "We'll always be together, so long as we remember one another..." "Promises to keep!" Many different voices all rush through Zeph's head, and he remembers his Wayfinder.

"The Wayfinder!" Zeph thinks, remembering how it can draw on the strength of his friendship with others. He takes out his Wayfinder and clutches it to his chest.

"Laz... Lend me a little of your strength." Zeph thinks, as his Wayfinder glows.

Suddenly, Zeph feels revived and seems to know many abilities different to his own.

He quickly gets up, and armed with new abilities, moves to attack his foe.

"Thunder!" He shouts, holding his Keyblade to the sky, and a lightning bolt strikes the Heartless, stunning it for a couple of seconds- an opening long enough for Zeph to weaken it a bit.

The fight continues for a while, and after a few minutes, Zeph feels the power given to him by the Wayfinder ebbing away, his abilities returning to normal.

"No! How can I beat this thing without magic?" Zeph thinks, panicking a little, as he parries away a blow from the giant Heartless. He notices that although his powers are returning to normal, his injuries from before aren't returning.

"I guess it will have to do..." Zeph thinks, charging in to try to end the fight as soon as possible. The Heartless takes a swing at him, but he is able to predict where the paw will be, and jumps up off of it, catapulting high into the air. Swinging his Keyblade high, and using the momentum from his fall, Zeph brings his Keyblade down hard onto the monster's head. The force of the blow is strong enough that Keyblade cuts the Heartless's head clean in two, and the creature disappears in a puff of darkness, a heart emerging from the centre of it and floating into the sky.

Zeph notices that by now, Maleficent has woken up, and had watched some of Zeph's fight with the giant Heartless.

"Please, Maleficent, may I close the tear?" Zeph asks, worriedly.

"Yes! yes! Do it! The blasted things won't be stealing my power again! To think, that beast could have killed me!" Maleficent shouts, obviously incensed.

"Thank you, sorry I didn't help you sooner." Zeph says, as he goes to close the tear. He points at the rupture in the world's fabric with his Keyblade, wondering what created it. The beam of light shoots forth and seals the tear.

"You fool!" Zeph hears Maleficent shout, and turns around to see the darkness of a destroyed heartless fading away.

"Thanks... you saved me." Zeph says, clearly very surprised.

"Of course I did- I couldn't let you be killed by-" Maleficent starts to say.

"I knew it! There is some light in you after all! You do have some goodness in you heart!" Zeph joyfully says.

"No, boy it's just-" Maleficent starts to say.

"Well done Maleficent! I'm proud of you!" Zeph says, cheerfully.

"You foolish boy! I only saved you because I know you will be important to defeating Xehanort in the end! I care nothing for you! I don't how much of this you intended to happen, and it doesn't matter to me! Just get out of my castle and leave this world! I will not help you any more, but I have permitted you to carry out your mission. If you wish to complain at me, then you may force my hand, but I am giving you this chance to leave." Maleficent is very insistent that she is pure evil.

"Thank you so much, Maleficent. I might see you again, but until then, goodbye." Zeph says.

"Yes, yes, goodbye Zephyrus. Now, Begone!" Maleficent says, as dark flames envelope Zeph, casting him out into the Lanes Between, but keeping him protected for long enough for him to put his armour on and get on his Keyblade glider. Unphased by the sudden transition, Zeph heads off towards Radiant Garden, a world reported to have two tears in it...

 **Chapter 6: Old Enemies, New Friends**

watch?v=L2gjL_jkl0s &ab_channel=Everglow

Once Zeph has landed, he looks around, getting his bearings in this huge city world. He seems to be a ways away from the city, on a huge cliff overlooking some strange castle. Zeph quickly pinpoints the darkness being released from one of the tears, and turns to leave. He walks towards the pass leading back towards the city, suddenly a light rises up from the floor, creating a wall blocking his path. Zeph turns around, summoning his keyblade, ready for a fight.

He is faced by some white, writhing humanoid figure.

"Heart... No- not Heartless. What are you?" Zeph asks the creature. It stands there facing him, making no move to attack. Suddenly a stab of pain shoots through Zeph's head, as another vision plays through his mind.

He remembers the first boy from his dreams, the visions are becoming clearer now, and many associations between people are starting to clear. Zeph now knows this boy's name is Sora- Zeph's damaged heart is starting to give true meaning to all the memories inside it.

The vision depicts Sora where Zeph is now, being confronted by a man with blue hair, wearing a black cloak. The man tells Sora that every Heartless he slays only helps Sora's enemies. The man then seems to summon many Heartless which all attack. The vision fades, and then changes to one of a different boy- one who looks almost the same as Ventus, but not quite. This boy is facing a being identical to the one Zeph saw. "Nobody" The word flashes into Zeph's mind, the only sound in the second part of his vision. The word sounds like it is "Nobody" with a capital "N". The vision fades, and Zeph is lying on the ground, his head still stinging.

"This is really starting to get out of hand..." Zeph thinks, as he drags himself up worn out.

The Nobody has disappeared and Zeph cannot see any other hostiles, but he doesn't feel like he's alone. He gets up, and immediately Heartless of various types appear. Zeph blows a sigh of irritation, and stands up to fight his enemies.

Zeph fights and fights, but there doesn't seem to be an end to the Heartless' assault.

"Why are there so many of you? Leave me alone!" Zeph shouts, getting increasingly tired and annoyed. He has started to slow down, his fatigue will soon make him unable to fight. Becoming really worried, Zeph fumbles around to find the point where his Wayfinder is strapped to his belt, but can't quite get a hold on it, and drops it off of its strap. The Heartless advance, creating a wall between him and his Wayfinder.

"Trying to cut me off, are you?" Zeph asks, "It isn't that simple, you monsters could never understand friendship!"

Zeph charges forward and cuts down most of the wall of Heartless, but each one he defeats is replaced by another two, at least. The burst of energy of his short counter attack has completely worn Zeph out, and he staggers back, the Heartless pushing him towards the cliff edge.

"If I can't do something soon, they'll take my heart for sure..." Zeph thinks, frantically searching his head for an idea as to what to do.

As Zeph is backed fully onto the edge, a few pebbles fall down from beneath his feet.

"I'm sorry Laz- it doesn't look like I can hold up my end of our promise..." Zeph whispers. Suddenly a pain stabs into Zeph's head, followed by a short vision.

He sees Sora with his silver-haired friend, Riku.

"Giving up already? C'mon, Sora! You're stronger than that!" Riku says.

Suddenly the vision starts to have a faded, different image layered on top of it. Zeph cannot see any detail in this vision, but the slight memory makes him feel sad beyond belief- is this one of his memories? Why does just the thought of it choke his heart to near death?

The vision clears with a flash, and Zeph is back in Radiant Garden. He summons his Keyblade, unable to fight back, Zeph focuses on blocking the Heartless' attacks.

"What's going on! Why are the Heartless back- and why here?" Zeph hears a male voice he doesn't recognise.

"I don't know, Leon, but what's important now is that we take them down." Another voice says.

"This is where Sora fought Sephiroth, isn't it, Cloud?" The first voice speaks again.

"That doesn't matter right now! These Heartless are clearly attacking somebody- we should help as quickly as we can." The second voice says.

Zeph has been pushed down to his knees, so can't see past the Heartless, but can hear the two men fighting their way through.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" One of the voices asks.

"I..." Zeph tries to speak, but is too weak, even for that.

"There! I think I see somebody!" Zeph can't distinguish the voices apart, he is hanging on by a thread, completely worn out.

Zeph sees a path cleared through the Heartless by the two men, and they see him.

"Can you reach? Give me your hand!" The brown-haired man says, reaching out to Zeph. A slight sting runs through Zeph's head, as he sees Riku holding his hand out to Sora. The pain wakes Zeph up enough for him to grab his saviour's hand.

"There! I've got him, Cloud! Let's get him someplace safe!"

"I'll hold them off! You need to hurry!" The other man says.

"I... My..." Zeph tries to speak, his throat is dry and he can't really speak.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you- can you stand?" The man asks. "My name's Leon. Are you hurt?"

"I... T- Yes." Zeph just about manages to speak up, trying to pull himself back up.

"Damn it! He's hurt! It doesn't look like he can stand up." Leon says.

"Leon- go and get Aerith, I'll keep him safe." The second man says, coming nearer.

"My name's Cloud, I'm Leon's friend. We're going to get you out of here. Don't worry about introducing yourself here, just try to recover your strength."

The Heartless still seem to be attacking near endlessly, but their numbers seem to be dwindling. Leon lets go of Zeph's hand and hurries away, taking down as many Heartless as possible as he leaves. Too tired to do anything else, Zeph lets sleep take over...

"Cloud! We're back!"

"Good! Hurry!"

"Can you help him?"

"I think so..."

"Quickly, I don't know how long we have!"

"Heal!"

A flash of light rushes through Zeph's eyes, and he gasps for breath.

"I think it's working!"

Zeph feels new energy rushing around his body, restoring his strength.

"Leave... Me... ALONE!" Zeph shouts, as he gets back up, light exploding out from his body, vanquishing all of the remaining Heartless.

"Woah! What the hell?"

Zeph is worn out again, but manages to inch forward enough to grab his wayfinder.

"We need to be quick, I'll carry him- Leon, you focus on stopping any more Heartless getting through. Aerith... Just be you."

Zeph feels something lifting him up and starting to carry him away, he manages to open his eyes.

"Th-thank you." Zeph says, and then promptly falls asleep.

"I think he's going to be okay now... Oh! He seems to be waking up!" Zeph hears a female voice saying. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up.

"Easy, there- you're not in good shape." The woman Zeph assumes to be Aerith is standing over him, and lightly presses him back down into the bed he's lying in.

"Thanks for saving me" Zeph says, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Could somebody bring me some water?" Aerith asks and goes back to speaking with Zeph, "No problem! You looked like you needed help, so we helped you."

Leon come over with a glass of water.

"Here you go. Have a drink, then you can tell us all about it." He says.

Zeph gratefully accepts the glass, and drains its entire contents very quickly.

"Ugh... That's better- thank you so much." Zephs says.

"No problem." Leon and Aerith both say.

"Right now you need to stay in bed, but if you're okay with it, could I ask you some questions?" Leon asks.

"Fire away..." Zeph says.

"Well, to start- what's your name?"

"Zephyrus, call me Zeph."

"What was going on back there? You're a Keyblade wielder, right?"

"Yes, and I don't know. There were just so many Heartless... I fought for hours and hours, but they never stopped appearing."

"Do you have any idea why there are so many?"

"Yes, this world, Radiant Garden contains two tears in its fabric... Through these tears, heartless can appear easily. It's just a hunch, but I think somebody is trying to get to the hearts of each world for some reason..."

"I think that will do for now. Anyway- I should introduce us properly. My name is Leon and this is Aerith. She's our best healer, and has been making sure you're okay since we brought you back. The other guy I was with is called Cloud, us two went to investigate where a light came out of the sky and found you."

"Thanks for helping me out, if you hadn't gotten there I would've been finished."

"No problem. What's this? You had it in your hand when I brought you back here." Leon holds out Zeph's Wayfinder.

"Oh, that's my Wayfinder. It lets me stay connected to my friends no matter where I am."

"Why do you need a trinket to do that?"

"It allows us to communicate and use the strength that connects our hearts together to grow more powerful."

"That sounds amazing, where did you get it?"

"I... Don't... Argh!"

"What's wrong?"

Zeph's head is in agony as his memories try to make themselves known, but fail.

"I... My head... I'm fine, don't worry."

"You don't seem it!" Aerith says. "Did you lose your memory or something?"

"Yes... Most of it, anyway. The strange thing is that it seems to have been replaced with other people's memories..."

"Do you need us to help you any more?" Leon asks.

"No, I think I'm alright now thanks again. I'm sure we'll see one another again, but I need to close the tear."

"I'll come with you- looks like you could use some help" Leon offers.

"I don't want to put you in danger, but if you really want to help, I'd be happy to have you along." Zeph says.

"I've had my share of fights in the past, I think I'll be able to hold my own."

"Well, I guess we should be going, then. Thanks again."

"You two come back safe, now, okay?" Aerith says.

"We'll be fine- he's a Keyblade wielder, remember?"

And with that, the two set off on their on their mission...

 **Chapter 7: New Enemies, Old Friends**

watch?v=UtVWw7U3sFg &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Zeph and Leon make their way up a staircase and around a turn.

"We're headed towards the bailey, the footing gets a little treacherous there, so be careful." Leon says.

"Thanks for the heads up... Look! Heartless!"

The two look over to the area below the staircase. There are little orbs appearing, moving towards the Heartless and exploding on contact.

"Don't worry about them- the town's defence system should take them out. Right now we need to stop the source, like you said." Leon tells Zeph.

"Right! Well, we'd better keep moving, then."

The two move on towards the Bailey and the tear...

They walk along a short way before reaching a plateau with a staircase on their right.

"Be careful with the stairs, keep to the blocks nearest a support. We keep meaning to repair the staircase, but we simply haven't had time." Leon cautions Zeph.

"Sure, no problem, thanks again." Zeph says, cheerfully.

Suddenly a small group of Heartless appears behind them. The two equip their weapons, and get ready for a fight.

The Heartless are no match for the combined might of Leon and Zeph, and the town's defence system helped out, too.

"Right, let's hurry, looks like the Heartless are even more tenacious now I'm here." Zeph says. The two hasten down the staircase and take a right at the bottom, leading towards a hill with an old castle at the top.

As they hurry up the hill, Zeph and Leon are attacked by increasing numbers of increasingly powerful Heartless. The two work well together, providing defence for one another whilst both striking out at the Heartless. It seems that trying to defeat all of the Heartless in one place right now would be close to impossible.

"You know, Leon- you're really good! I've never seen anybody fight quite like you do." Zeph says, as they move slowly up the hill, fighting back the Heartless.

"All that really shows is that I've been in a few too many fights in my time, thanks anyway. You're not bad either, but I think your technique needs just a spot of work before you'll be a Keyblade master."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I've not done too much fighting, so it makes sense I still have a lot to learn."

After a few more minutes' slow movement up the hill, they reach a platform made of metal where the Heartless don't seem to attack.

"Looks like we can have a rest here. Tell me when you're ready." Leon says.

"Sure. I- Argh!" Zeph starts to say, but is overcome by an intense pain in his head.

In his vision, Zeph remembers Ventus coming to this castle, but it is different. In the vision it is tidy and not falling down. Ventus follows his friend, a mouse, to the entrance where the guards stop Ventus from entering. Next he sees Aqua in the same place, she meets a little girl named "Kairi" who is with her grandmother. Aqua senses the this girl- Kairi has a heart of pure light. Zeph remembers his dreams- Kairi was one of the seven Princesses Of Heart who were kidnapped by Maleficent on Sora's first adventure. Zeph's knowledge is growing, but without context- he doesn't know what any of it means.

"Zeph! Are you okay?"

Zeph wakes up, he is on the floor, again, clutching his head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. That... it just happens to me when the memories come out of my heart..."

"Your own ones or the ones of different people?"

"They're never my own, but they're always related to where I am..."

"Sounds like it could come in handy."

"It does, sometimes."

"Are you ready to move on?"

"I'd just like to sit down for a few minutes, get my brain back into gear."

"Sure, it'll be less time and risk resting here than if we got beaten and had to run away."

Zeph sits down for a few minutes, waiting for the pain in his head to subside. Once it is clear, he gets up and walks over to Leon, who is looking out over the rails.

"What happened to this place?" Zeph asks

"Bad things. Radiant Garden was called the world of light, for a time... Somebody tried to abuse the light, and the world fell into darkness. Sora was able to restore Hollow Bastion back to being the world it once was, but the town itself was in ruins. We were just starting repairs when the Heartless started showing up again."

"That sounds horrible- where did you go when the world fell into darkness?"

"Where everyone else goes- to Traverse Town."

The name triggers a sudden stab of pain in Zeph's head as he remembers Sora's various trips to Traverse Town and, for some reason, Zeph gets the feeling Sora is there right now...

"Traverse Town, huh? I guess you at least had somewhere to stay..."

"I'd rather not talk about it- I have enough on my mind already."

"Sure- let's go, I think I'm rested up now."

The two walk on, through the door leading inside the mountain, and into the castle.

Once inside, Zeph and Leon find themselves in a maze of corridors.

"This could get tricky..." Leon says.

"Why's that?"

"This corridors are falling apart, so the way could be blocked, and we can't really clear rubble."

"Really? Well, hopefully we'll be fine." Zeph says, distantly.

"What's on your mind?"

"I can only tell which direction the tear is in- it's like a maze in here. It could take ages before we manage to find the way..."

"We'll be- heads up!"

As Leon starts to speak, Heartless appear around them. Leon and Zeph each get ready to fight their assailants.

"Look! They seem to be appearing further back and moving normally to get here! If we follow them back, it might not be so hard after all!" Zeph notices, as the two advance slowly, back to back and surrounded.

The two follow the trail set out by the Heartless and eventually reach a small door in the wall.

"It's through here, Leon." Zeph says.

"Go on ahead, I'll make sure they don't flank you through here. Just come back alive, okay?"

"Really? Okay, then, Leon. I'll do my best- you don't die either."

"I'll be fine, now go!"

Zeph walks through the door and into a ransacked study. He looks around quickly, there are notes all over the walls. Zeph feels there isn't time to stop to read them, so moves on. He is now walking through corridors made of metal. He turns a few corners and reaches a room with a huge computer in it.

"What's this?" Zeph thinks, walking over, and checking the display.

It reads "Unknown error, please try again...".

"Try what again?" Zeph thinks- the computer doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Zeph moves on quickly when he starts to feel a slight twinge in his head- he doesn't want to let himself collapse into a vision while Leon is in danger.

After a little more walking, Zeph reaches a large balcony overlooking a huge block of computer hardware which expands as far as the eye can see. It looks like it all wires up to the display in the room Zeph was just in.

"There you are!" Zeph mutters, as he notices the tear and runs towards it.

Once he reaches the centre of the balcony, one of the same light walls blocks the exit and strange high-tech looking Heartless appear all around him.

As Zeph fights the Heartless, he notices they seem almost digital- could the proximity to the computers be affecting the tear and the Heartless it produces?

After defeating all of the Heartless surrounding him, Zeph walks towards the tear, ready to close it. Suddenly a giant, more high-tech looking Heartless appears in front of him, and takes flight just back from the edge of the balcony, rendering Zeph unable to attack it. He notices something starting to spin very quickly on the lower middle of the Heartless, and instinctively makes himself as small as possible, covering his head. He hears the Heartless open fire at a rate which seems like it could tear anything to shreds, and waits for the pain of his death.

Zeph stands there for a few more moments, then opens his eyes. He can't help but admire this creature's ability to hit everywhere except its target. Carefully, Zeph uncurls and summons his Keyblade, throwing it with all his might at his enemy. His keyblade tears through the Heartless, and it seems that whatever force the Heartless was using to fly has been impeded. Zeph re-summons his Keyblade back into his hands, and grips it tightly, waiting for the Heartless to come into striking range. Zeph continues to fight the Heartless for a few more minutes before, eventually the glowing lines covering it turn red and flicker. In a last-ditch attempt to defeat Zeph, the Heartless charges straight at him, and looks as if it's about to explode. Zeph quickly dodges underneath the Heartless's legs, and jumps onto his Keyblade glider, flying a short distance away. The Heartless explodes in a surprisingly pretty burst of light, then the tear is silent. Zeph quickly closes it and hurries back towards Leon.

Zeph hurries through the study and bursts through the door, and within a few moments, is back at Leon's side.

"Leon! I closed the tear, hopefully the Heartless will stop coming now."

"Just in time, too- good job, Zeph"

The two finish of the remaining Heartless, and then... Nothing...

"They've stopped..." Leon says.

"That means..."

"What is it, Zeph?"

"You know I said there were two of those tears in this world earlier? For the Heartless to have stopped completely, the other one must've been closed, too."

"You didn't close that one already?"

"No, I think my friend- another keyblade wielder is here, too."

"Really? Any idea where they are?"

"I could ask him."

Zeph gets his Wayfinder out and holds it to his chest.

"Laz, where are you?"

"Oh, Zeph- hello. I'm in Radiant Garden, I just closed one of the tears. I figured you could use a little help."

"Thanks, I'm in Radiant Garden, too. I just closed the other tear- could you come and meet us in town?"

"Sure, I might take a little bit to get there, but it'd be good to see you and have a bit of a catch up."

"Okay, well- see you later"

Zeph puts his Wayfinder away, and turns back to Leon.

"Any luck?" Leon asks.

"Yup, he's coming to town so that we can catch up about how we're getting on closing the tears, and stuff. I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you, too."

"Sure... Let's head back, then."

The two walk off through the blissfully empty corridors back to town.

Once they arrive, they see Laz standing in the square, waiting for Zeph to arrive.

"Laz!" Zeph shouts, running over to greet his friend.

"Hello Zeph, how have you been?" Laz says.

"I've been pretty much okay- nothing has gone majorly wrong yet, at least."

"That's good to hear- don't put yourself into too much danger, okay?"

"Of course, I would never-"

"I mean it, Zeph. You're important in so many more ways than you know. Running blindly into danger is foolish. Remember your Wayfinder and also- brute force is only going to get you so far. You should really learn magic- go to the Mysterious Tower near Twilight Town. Once you're there, tell Master Yen Sid I sent you."

"O...kay... Laz- what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just a bit worried- the darkness feels closer everywhere, I think the tears are growing, so we need to hurry."

"Really?"

"Really. Anyway- who's your friend?" Laz asks, gesturing to Leon, who has been walking slowly over.

"I'm Leon, got Zeph out of a bad way earlier and helped him get to the tear. I live here, so there's no need to thank me- he helped me more than I helped him."

"Well, greetings, Leon. Still, thank you for keeping Zeph safe, you've kept me out of a lot of trouble."

"No problem- Laz, was it?"

"Lezalit- Zeph calls me Laz. Anyway, I had really better be going, so farewell. The Heartless should stop appearing once we've both left."

"Thanks, see you soon."

"Laz! Where are you going, what do you mean "trouble"?" Zeph shouts after Laz, who has gotten onto his Keyblade glider, and is moving away rapidly.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon if you're supposed to, but if you aren't supposed to know, you should just accept that, Zeph." Leon says when Laz doesn't respond.

"I guess so... I should probably be going, too. Take care, Leon- say thanks again to Cloud and Aerith to me. Thank you, too."

"No problem, if you ever need anything from us, feel free to stop by... and if you get another one of those Wayfinders, I'd like to have a proper look at one."

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, see you soon, I'm sure- bye and thanks again."

"See you." Leon says, turning away.

Zeph puts his armour back on, and get on his Keyblade glider, creating a portal. Leaving via this threshold, Zeph turns towards Twilight Town and heads to the Mysterious Tower...

 **Chapter 8: The Magic of Knowledge**

watch?v=I2qUP2FKKgk &ab_channel=PoloDaReaper

Zeph lands at the foot of a rather tall and very mysterious tower. He walks towards the entrance and has a little look around. There doesn't seem to be anything here except the tower. Zeph reaches the large doors and knocks politely before going inside.

The inside of the tower doesn't seem very interesting, either- there is a spiral staircase on one of the sides, but that's about it. Zeph decides to take the stairs up higher. The staircase seems to go on for a very long time, but eventually, Zeph seems to reach an intermediate floor.

"Huh, this place seems a bit weird..." Zeph thinks, as he approaches the middle of the room. Suddenly Heartless appear around him, but something seems different about them- they seem slightly ethereal.

Zeph fights all of the creatures away after a short battle, wondering if it was some kind of test. A staircase appears in front of him, and Zeph continues his climb, up into the unknown.

After another long climb, Zeph reaches a small door made out of simple wood. He starts to knock, but before his hand touches the door a voice interrupts him.

"Come in, young one- you have much to learn."

Slightly taken aback, Zeph opens the door and walks through into the small room.

"Greetings, young man- my name is Yen Sid, what is yours?"

"Greetings, Master Yen Sid. My name is Zephyrus. I-"

"You come seeking knowledge, do you not? I can give much of the information you seek"

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir."

Yen Sid beckons Zeph over to his table in the centre of the room, and Zeph walks over.

"Well, Zephyrus, there is much to learn, so if you are supposed to meet anybody else soon, you should do so first."

"No, sir, I'm ready to learn just now."

"Okay then, boy. Firstly, as I'm sure Lezalit told you, the Heartless come in two base forms. The Purebloods focus on gathering hearts, whilst the Emblem ones are the more aspiring type. Now, I'm sure he didn't tell you what happens to the hearts once the Keyblade has destroyed the Heartless carrying them. Each and every heart will return to a realm known as Kingdom Hearts. Unfortunately we know very little about Kingdom Hearts, however I doubt it will be good if this power fell into Xehanort's hands."

"Sir, who exactly is Xehanort?"

"Ah, Xehanort is our enemy- he seeks to use the X-Blade to send all the worlds into darkness. I am at a loss for why, exactly. It is up to us- the guardians of the light to prevent that from happening, no matter the cost. The X-Blade can only be created if certain conditions are fulfilled, however. Currently Xehanort requires another heart of pure darkness before he has any chance. It is our current mission to prevent Xehanort spreading darkness into the worlds so that he may find a suitable heart. Up until now, the only enemies you have come across are the Heartless, however, there is another type you must be aware of- Nobodies. Nobodies- that is, with a capital "N"- are the husk left behind when a powerful heart leaves a body. Although similar to Heartless, they come in very different forms- often Nobodies have peculiar abilities, some of which are similar to those of Pureblood Heartless. Don't be fooled- most Nobodies are even more powerful than Emblem Heartless. The most important thing to note about Nobodies is that, provided the person whose Nobody they are is strong enough,sometimes they look almost exactly like the person they come from and have very similar abilities. It is these- the "True" Nobodies, if you like, which are the most dangerous, especially as they grow older, as the eventually regain a heart. I understand that you wish to learn the ways of magic from me, too?"

"Yes, please, sir- if you would permit me."

"Alas, I cannot teach you magic myself, but I can awaken your heart's ability to use it. You seem to have an innate affinity for wind magic, so you will likely be able to cast that by default. Now, give me your hand."

Zeph gives the old master his hand. After a short wait, Zeph feels a slight tingling sensation run up his arm.

"There, whatever barrier was stopping you from being able to use magic should be gone now."

"Thank you, master Yen Sid."

"My pleasure. Now- it seems you must hurry, as the tears seem to be growing as more darkness flows through them. Goodbye, Zephyrus. Remember what you have learnt here today, it may well prove invaluable at a later date."

"I'll do my best, thank you again, Master. I'm sure I'll see you again soon- farewell."

"Farewell Zephyrus. Oh, and before you go, you needn't worry about having a long climb back up here- the Tower has tested you and deems you worthy. Goodbye."

Zephyrus nods, waves, and heads back down the stairs, which now only seem to be the length of the ones in the entrance way. Once down the much shorter climb, Zeph heads outside, puts his armour on, and leaves this world on his Keyblade glider, wondering if it ever had a tear in it...

 **Chapter 9: Discomfort**

watch?v=zTFCLPrzemU &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Zeph's next target world is The Land of Dragons. Once he has landed, Zeph is confronted straight away by two soldier-looking men.

"They look like people now? No matter- begone, monster!" Says the shorter one.

Zeph looks around, trying to see what they're talking about, then when they charge at him, he realises who they meant. Quickly jumping out of the way, Zeph starts to speak,

"Hey! No, I'm not a Heartless- I'm a human, just like y-"

"They speak, too! Clearly it tries to trick us! No matter, we will outsmart it!" The short man seems to be extremely aggressive.

"You aren't list-" Zeph starts to say, but is interrupted by a swift slice from one of the men. Zeph just manages to dodge this attack, but makes no move to strike back.

"You know, I'm not sure he is one of them..." The other taller and fatter man says.

"No, I'm not a Heartless! I want to help you get rid of them!" Zeph says, trying to keep an even head.

"Don't fall for its trick! If we let it live, all will be lost." The first man speaks again.

"Fine then, I am one of them. Come on- kill me. You'll see that I bleed just like you do."

The hostile man looks confused, and is clearly thinking hard- has Zeph's bluff worked?

"There's no way one of them would just let you kill it! He's a person- I'm telling you!" The second man tries to convince the first. Zeph sits down and closes his eyes.

"But it just said it was one of them! Why would a person say that...? But only a person would say that... Okay- just this once, we'll let him live. Let's take him to Mulan- she'll know what to do." The aggressive man finally decides Zeph is not a threat, and the two pick Zeph up and drag him away towards a small village.

"Mulan! We have something important to show you!" The aggressive man shouts at a house.

"Hello? Who's there?" A female voice calls out.

"It's Yao! We've captured one of those monsters! It says it wants to help us!"

"You what?" The voice calls again, surprised. Zeph hears shuffling from the house and shortly afterwards, a young woman appears at the door.

"Where is the monster then?" The woman who must be Mulan says.

"Right here, if you're to believe them, ma'am." Zeph says.

"They thought _you_ were one of them?" Mulan asks, surprised.

"Well, err... He did kind of appear... Umm... Come to think of it he really is nothing like them..." The aggressive man who Zeph assumes to be called Yao says.

"Yao- you should really learn to control your temper. Anyway- who is our prisoner?" Mulan asks.

"Zephyrus, guardian of light, Keyblade wielder and general nice guy at your service. Call me Zeph- everybody else does." Zeph cheerfully says, feeling a need to continue to show-up Yao.

"A Keyblade... wielder- like Sora?"

"Preciseley- I'm here to help put a stop to the Heartless' attack, but _somebody_ tried to kill me, then kidnapped me."

"I fear I must apologise for the impudence of my colleagues, Zeph. The situation has gotten much worse recently, it has even been reported that Shan Yu has returned from the dead, but this has not been confirmed."

"Thanks for the apology, Mulan- you needn't take such a formal tone with me- I'm nobody special. N-Nobody special? Whatever..." Zeph feels a need to joke around to show that he isn't offended.

"Now, how do you propose we stop the Heartless?" Mulan asks.

"First, could I have some breathing room, please?" Zeph asks, and the men release him. "Well, this world contains a tear in its fabric- leading to a dark void in the fracture of the world's heart. Through tears like these, creatures of darkness appear quickly to spread that darkness. If I cannot close this tear, then all hope for this world is lost."

"That sounds... Important... Okay- I've decided I will come to help you- I know the layout of this area better than most." Mulan says.

"You don't have to- I'll be leading you into danger." Zeph says.

"Yes, but you have no responsibility to here, and I do- it'd be wrong to send you into danger alone, when it is up to me and the army to defend this land." Mulan explains.

"I would be honoured to have you along, Mulan. Now, we must hurry- the tear only grows larger as more darkness pushes through."

Mulan quickly goes to pick up her sword and tell everyone she's leaving on urgent business. Once she is back, the two leave, the other two soldiers conspicuously silent.

"Cowards..." Mulan says, as Zeph and Mulan travel.

"Do you know where we're going, Zeph?" She asks.

"Well... I know which way to go, not where we're going, as such."

"Right now we're heading towards the old palace, it was quick to fall, the monsters seemed to be appearing inside the palace in huge numbers."

"Thanks, Mulan- you've told me just what I needed to know. That means the tear has probably opened inside the palace. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Do you know how far we are from this palace?"

"Well, normally it would take a few hours on horseback, but on foot with all the enemies, I'd expect at least a day's walk. I don't want to risk riding on horseback, the horses don't deserve it."

"A whole day? This might call for a bit of... Inventive strategy..."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see... Where's the armoury around here?" Zeph asks.

"The... armoury? Well, we store the firecracker launchers just around the corner."

"Perfect." Zeph says, the glint of a plan in his eyes.

After a few minutes, Zeph comes out of the shed, his Keyblade glider made quite a bit bigger by all of the firecracker launchers tied to it.

"What... is... that...?" Mulan asks, very confused.

"It's our one way ticket to the palace..."

"Why the firecrackers? And why are the rockets tied to the launchers? Are you trying to kill us?"

"No! It's simple- take out the explosives, tie the rocket on and then bam! You have a booster!"

"So this is to make that... Thing go faster? No, I won't ride that."

"Fine... I'll get a horse carriage and use that... Would you ride in that?"

"That seems like a much better idea that that... kite..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... In that case, we'll need more firecrackers and rope, please. I'll go and get a cart."

Zeph goes to the stables and retrieves Mulan's carriage.

"Right- here we go, let's get this puppy set up."

The two of the work together, tying up firecrackers, removing the explosives from them and attaching some to the cart, and storing the rest inside.

After a few minutes' more work, they are ready to go.

"Right, let's get moving." Zeph says, and they both get into the cart, and light the fuses on the launchers.

"Here it goes!"

With a loud noise, the firecrackers ignite, and the cart lurches into motion, rapidly picking up speed.

"This is going to be a bumpy ride!" Zeph shouts over the sound of the firecrackers.

"Zeph? How are we going to turn?" Mulan shouts after a few moments.

"Umm... That's a... Good point- no idea!" Zeph cheerfully says.

"You're going to get us both killed!" Mulan says

"I have an idea- magic!" Zeph says, as he climbs out on to the top of the cart.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mulan shouts at him out of the window.

Zeph ignores her, thinking "Don't fail me now..."

As a turn in the road comes up, Zeph casts his spell.

"Wind!" a gust of wind comes out of his hands, turning the cart just enough to get it around the bend.

"What was that?" Mulan asks.

"It doesn't matter- you just keep us moving! I'll keep us on the road as best I can!" Zeph shouts down to Mulan.

"Really? Now? You had to..." Zeph thinks, as flying Heartless appear around the cart.

Keeping a tight hold of the cart with one hand, Zeph summons his keyblade, ready to fend of the attackers.

"You okay up there, what's going on?" Mulan asks, she mustn't have noticed the monsters yet.

"I'm fine for now! The sooner we get there, the less I have to worry about!" Zeph shouts down as he lashes out at a nearby Heartless.

"We've got a hard right turn coming up, Zeph! Do your thing, please!"

"Got ya!"

"Wind!" Zeph shouts, casting another spell, this time the magical gust also takes out a few heartless.

"Zeph!" Mulan shouts, the pushing force from the spell wasn't enough

"Okay! Just getting that!" He shouts, moving over to the right of the cart, Keyblade in hand. He cuts off the firecrackers on this side, and sticks his keyblade into the ground. The cart quickly swings around, almost falling over the edge of the cliff they are driving down.

"That was close!" Mulan shouts up, setting fresh firecrackers up on the right side of the cart.

"There are a few more turns, but the road should straighten up a bit from here!" Mulan says.

Still pinned down by Heartless, Zeph makes no move to re-enter the cart.

"I'm alright up here, if you were offering for me to come back in, thanks!" Zeph says.

"Really? I don't bite..." Mulan says, slightly offended.

"No, it isn't about... Get off!... you! It's just... Ouch! ... I don't want to let these... Heartless in!" Zeph says, having trouble fending off the increasing numbers of small bird-like Heartless.

"You sure you don't want me to come up and help you?"

"No! You stay down there and keep us moving! Thanks for the offer, but it's not really an option right now!" Zeph says.

They continue in the cart like this for about an hour, and on the final straight road, Mulan uses the final few firecrackers to give them an extra boost, and as night falls, they arrive in the town which has been infested by Heartless...

 **Chapter 10: Honour or Foolishness?**

watch?v=2Dtd5iQlUj8 &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

"Zeph! We're here!" Mulan shouts.

"Yeah- I can try to stop the cart, if you want!" Zeph replies.

"Yes, please!"

"Wind!" Zeph casts a spell against the cart's direction of movement, but it doesn't seem to slow down much.

"Mulan! I can't stop the cart! You're going to have to jump out!" Zeph shouts, trying to keep calm.

"Okay, got it! What are you going to do? Zeph?" Mulan speaks, but to deaf ears- Zeph has collapsed into another vision on top of the cart, which is still moving.

In the vision, Zeph sees Sora fighting a very strong man with orange eyes and black hair. Was this Shan Yu? Next, he remembers something from a very long time ago- the memory is distorted and vague with age. In the memory, Aqua appears to be at the very beginning of her training, learning how to use magic. One spell in particular seems to stand out in Zeph's mind- Fire. Next, the vision depicts his own memories, of moving at speed towards the walls of a castle on a cart filled with explosives. There is something strange about this vision- the same, distorted, dark vision that he saw in Radiant Garden- one attached to sorrow beyond belief is layer on top again. He can make out a tiny bit more detail- the memory appears to be taking place somewhere the colour orange seems to be very prevalent. Zeph notices a nagging feeling tugging him back to consciousness- is he still on that cart?

"Yes, yes I am..." This one though echoes through Zeph's mind, pulling him back to consciousness.

"Zeph! What are you doing! Get off the cart! Now!" Mulan is shouting.

Pulled rapidly back to consciousness, head still spinning, Zeph jumps off the cart just as it hits the foot of a staircase, and is catapulted into the air.

"Fire!" Zeph shouts, casting a fireball at the cart. The explosives inside ignite, and quickly explode, destroying the door to the palace almost completely.

"Did we need to do that?" Mulan asks, slightly bemused.

"Oww... My head..." Zeph says, his head is still spinning from the vision.

"What happened- are you okay?"

"I... hope so. Sorry I did that without asking."

"No problem- they needed replacing anyway."

"Could we just have a quick breather here- my head is in agony."

"Why?"

"It just happens... Sometimes the memories of other people which seem to be in my heart force their way out, and when my brain tries to add meaning to them, it hurts."

"You should ask somebody about that..."

"Whatever, I'm fine. We need to close this tear, as soon as possible." Zeph says, suddenly restored to his usual vitality.

"Really? You don't want to rest anymore?" Mulan asks, shocked by Zeph's rapid change.

"Careful!" Zeph shouts, as he attacks a Heartless which was about to hit Mulan in the back. "It isn't safe here until we close the tear- quickly, let's go!" Zeph says.

The two hurry towards the castle, but are stopped at the entrance by the burning debris.

"Zeph! We can't get through! The cart is blocking the way!" Mulan says.

"Just figure something out, I'll stop these Heartless from attacking us!" Zeph replies.

Mulan looks around, then notices the snow piled up on the roof of the palace.

"I shouldn't be long, Zeph, hold them off for me!"

"Got you!"

Mulan quickly runs off to go and climb up to the snow, while Zeph fends off the Heartless, which are starting to become very powerful.

"Zeph! Heads up!" Mulan shouts down, as she starts to push the snow off of the roof.

Zeph jumps back, and as the snow falls, casts his strongest wind magic, blowing it into the flaming wood. With a huge hiss, the fire goes out.

"The fire's out! You can come down, Mulan- the Heartless seem to have stopped!"

"Okay I'm just- ugh..." Mulan starts to say, but seems to be overcome by tiredness, and looks like she's about to fall over the edge.

"Mulan!" Zeph shouts, as he runs as quickly as he can towards her. She slips over the edge, and it doesn't look like Zeph will make it in time.

"Stay away from my friends!" Zeph shouts, certain this is the work of a Heartless. Becoming cloaked in an aura of pale green light Zeph charges forward, now with blinding speed, and throws his Keyblade. It rockets forward, glowing with that same light, and changes into glider form, flying up to catch Mulan. It then floats slowly down, and carefully drops Mulan onto the ground.

Zeph slows down a little, but hurries over to his friend.

"Mulan, are you okay?"

"Z-Zeph? What happened?"

"I think you got hit by something, and you fell off the roof- I only just managed to save you."

"Oh? Thank you so much, in that case. I'm sorry- I should keep my wits about me more, shouldn't I?"

"It's my fault- I shouldn't have let you go up there alone. Anyway- can you stand?"

"Yes, I'm fine, actually... Strange- what could have made me so tired, but allow me to wake up so easily?" Mulan wonders.

"Magic?"

"Possibly... Anyway, we should hurry." Mulan says.

The two climb over the debris, and into the palace.

watch?v=JsZ5OZXDPFc&ab_channel=Everglow

Once inside, they seem to be in a large room. The is a man standing in the middle, completely motionless, facing away from Mulan and Zeph.

"There! It's the tear!" Zeph whispers.

"Is that...? How could this be possible? we killed him..." Mulan asks.

"What do you mean?"

"That man... It looks like Shan Yu, the leader of the Huns."

"Leave this place, now!" The man speaks in a deep voice which echoes throughout the room.

"Shan Yu! How have you returned? No matter- I will just kill you again!" Mulan shouts, charging in, and pushing Zeph back.

The man turns around, his breath condensing into black clouds in front of him.

"He must've been using the tear to grow stronger somehow- be careful, Mulan!"

Mulan hits Shan Yu like a lightning bolt, unleashing a flurry of blows that could have killed any man. Mulan jumps back and looks at Shan Yu, confused- her sword passed straight through him. Shan Yu looks at her with piercing green eyes, and draws his sword, he swings once, then again, leaving Mulan on the floor, unable to block any more attacks. Green eyes? Suddenly Zeph realises what's going on.

"Who are you?" Mulan asks, accepting her fate.

"Mulan! That's not Shan Yu!" Zeph shouts, charging forwards, Keyblade in hand.

"Zeph! This is not your matter! Do not interfere!"

"Don't be stupid! He isn't Shan Yu!" Zeph shouts, as he arrives, just in time to block the killing blow.

"Who is it?"

"Rrgh... Nobody! That is... A Nobody- _his_ Nobody!" Zeph says, through gritted teeth, this creature is devastatingly powerful, and Zeph is already blocking from a bad angle.

"Mulan... Get to somewhere... Safe- in the nicest possible way, you're no use here!"

"Okay..." she says, but is too weak to move.

Zeph tries to swing his body around, but is stopped as the Nobody starts to press harder against Zeph's Keyblade, forcing Zeph to bend his arms.

"Zeph!" Mulan shouts- if his arms have to go much further, his left one won't be able to take it.

"Get off... Of... My... Friend... Nrgh..." Tears well up in Zeph's eyes, as pain shoots up from his arm. The Nobody shows no signs of stopping.

The pain in his arm is almost unbearable, and Zeph feels his arm start to give.

"M-Mulan... Please.. Get out of... Argh!" With a terribly audible crack, Zeph's arm breaks due to the incredible force the Nobody put on it. The sword cuts down with massive force, into the floor just next to Mulan. Zeph was not able to stop the blow, but he could deflect it.

"Zeph!" Mulan shouts, frantically trying to get up and help her friend.

Panting from the effort, and pain, Zeph lets his left arm hang by his side.

Still unable to get up, Mulan decides to help out the only way she can- the Nobody's sword is stuck in the wooden flooring, and the creature is having trouble pulling it out. Mulan grabs a hold of the sword, and does her best to keep it in the floor.

"Zeph! Hurry!" Mulan urges the wounded Keyblade wielder on.

Unable to attack directly, Zeph uses the other tool at his disposal.

"Fire! Freeze! Thunder! Gravity! Wind!" Knowledge of magic rushes through his head, and Zeph casts each of the spells which flow through his mind. They are all much more powerful than the ones he could cast normally. He ends with two more spells:

"Stop! Heal!" The spells Stopga and Curaga provide him the advantage he needs. Although the healing magic could not fix his arm, it at least stopped the pain, and will have healed Mulan, too. The Stop spell freezes the Nobody in place, allowing Zeph to walk past it and close the tear.

"You are weak... You must die..." The Nobody says, pushing Mulan off its sword, and wrenching it out of the ground.

Amazed that the creature could still be standing after the onslaught of spells, Zeph readies himself for a final battle.

Playing to his strengths, Zeph focuses on dodging, then following up with fast attacks the Nobody can't block.

watch?v=b9F0d5pd1Uk&ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Despite Zeph's huge handicap, after a painstakingly long fight, the Nobody seems to slow down. Zeph strikes it with all his might, and his Keyblade finally cleaves through the monster, dark tendrils extending from the wound. Soon, these tendrils start to appear all over the Nobody.

"You... Have done well... I die... With honour. I am pleased it was you who defeated me. Goodbye great Keyblade warrior thank you for giving me this great gift..." The Nobody speaks its last words, which are surprising to Zeph. Was this creature truly something of evil? Tears start to well up in Zeph's eyes.

"He... Was grateful... An existence of pure suffering- he was only doing what he knew, how could there be anything wrong with that? Nobody deserves to be treated as a monster right up to their death, but I just did that. I couldn't let him live, not with Xehanort..."

"Zeph... It wasn't your fault- you were just doing what you had to. You saved my life twice, and for that I cannot thank you enough. You cannot blame yourself, he died with honour and even thanked you. He was a great warrior in his time, and you got to be the one who defeated him. You should rejoice, not mourn."

"I will make him pay for all he's done... He's ruined too many lives, I had hoped there was a light in everything... That no matter who or what you are, there is still a good side to you... This is true, even for Nobodies, but not for him... Xehanort is unforgivable... Mulan- I'm sorry, but I'm not like you, or the warriors you know. For me, life is something to rejoice in, but death, no matter how honourable, is always a tragedy."

"I.. See... I'm sorry, Zeph- I should have been stronger..."

"It isn't your fault, Mulan- I was the only one here who could do that. As a Keyblade wielder, it is my responsibility to defend the light on all fronts. That Nobody was a threat to the light, so I had to destroy him. You are, although a great warrior, not a Keyblade wielder, so you couldn't fight your enemy."

"You're right... Anyway- let's leave this place. We need to get your arm seen to."

Zeph wants to move on as quickly as possible, but knows it would be foolish to continue without having his arm at least set to start healing properly.

"That would probably be best. Sorry about the cart, Mulan. Looks like we'll have to walk from here."

"Looks like it..."

Zeph helps Mulan up, and the two support one another through their wounds- Zeph helping Mulan stand with her limp, and Mulan holding Zeph's arm steady.

The Heartless might be gone, but the two still have a long journey ahead of them...

watch?v=zTFCLPrzemU&ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

The two walk together for most of the night, getting increasingly tired, but forcing themselves to carry on. Finally, they arrive, completely worn out.

"Mulan!" A man Zeph doesn't know says, running over.

"Hello, Li... Sorry I snuck off like that, but I had something I needed to do. I know you would've stopped me." Mulan says.

"I'm just glad you're alive... What happened, and who is this?" The man asks.

"His name is Zephyrus, and he stopped the issues we've been having with the Heartless. I went with him and tried to help, but I wasn't much use."

"Heartless? You mean the monsters, right? What about Shan Yu?"

"That is why we were injured... He seemed to be back from the dead, even more powerful than before."

"It wasn't him... Shan Yu died when you killed him, but when a powerful heart leaves a body, the husk left behind can become what is known as a 'Nobody'. This was what we fought. Mulan was wounded because only a Keyblade or very specific other weapons can damage Nobodies." Zeph says.

"You're... a Keyblade wielder?"

"Sure am..."

"In any case, welcome to China, Zephyrus. Thank you so much for your help. My name is Li Shang, I am Mulan's husband, and the general of our armies. Now, would you like to come in and have your wounds seen to? You are welcome to stay as long as you need."

"It would be an honour, general Li Shang."

The general leads Zeph and Mulan inside, and calls the medic over.

"Tea?" a servant asks.

"Yes, please." all three respond.

They all sit down in a central lounge area with their tea, the Medic rushes about, examining Mulan and Zeph's wounds.

"It would appear that Zephyrus has a broken arm. I think the elbow joint must have tried to rotate, which pulled it out of position. Mulan appears to have sprained her ankle quite badly, but that seems to be it." The Medic says. "For now, I would recommend, especially for Zephyrus, that the two go to bed. In the morning, I will have medication ready for them."

"Thank you, doctor. We shall just finish our tea, first."

Mulan, Li Shang and Zeph speak in detail about what happened, and once he has finished his tea, Zeph decides to leave the husband and wife alone, thanking them for their help and wishing them a good night.

There is a quiet knock on the door. "Zeph? Are you okay in there."

"Ugh... I... Is it time for school already?" Zeph sits up and rubs his eyes, shaking the sleepiness out of his head. He realises that that has been his first sleep in a long time. Even though traveling through the lanes between in his armour restores his stamina, it is not the same as sleeping.

"Wake up, sleepy head! We thought you'd died!" Mulan calls through.

"M-Mulan? Oh! Yeah! I'm coming!" Zeph says, quickly getting up and changing out of the night clothes he was borrowing. He hurries through the door.

"There you are! Breakfast is ready, but you need to see the medic first."

"Thanks so much... Sorry, it's been ages since I last slept."

"You're injured, it's only natural to be tired, anyway, follow me."

Mulan follows Mulan back to the room he had his tea in the night before. Here, the medic and General Li Shang are waiting.

"Good morning everyone!" Zeph says, cheerfully.

"Good morning, Zephyrus." Li Shang replies.

"Good morning, sir. May I take a look at your arm?" The medic asks.

"Of course." Zeph stands stock still, wincing a little as the medic take his arm for further inspection.

"Okay, here we go..." The medic picks up a splint and a bandage. "Hold still for me."

"O...kay- what are you? Ouch! That hurts!" With another loud crack which makes everyone cringe, the medic relocates Zeph's forearm, applies a poultice and bandages it.

"That should heal reasonably quickly, keep it in this sling. I don't know how, but it seems that the bone is already fairly strong, so once it stops hurting to move it, you should be completely fine to use it as normal." The medic says, wrapping the sling over Zeph's neck, and helping his arm into it.

"Thank you again."

"Right, now that's done, breakfast anyone?"

Zeph weighs up his options, he doesn't know what to do.

"Zeph, what's wrong?" Mulan asks.

"I... Really do need to get going, but I would love to have some breakfast if I'm aloud to."

"Where do you have to go?" Li Shang asks

"I have to go to lots of places, none of them nearby. But having some food should speed me up, really. Besides, if I stay here for a little longer, it'll be longer that I can help out if we're attacked." Zeph decides to stay.

"It would be our pleasure for you to stay, Zeph, but we could pack you something up to have on the go..." The General says.

"No thank you, I'll not inconvenience you even more than I already have."

"Inconvenience? Zeph, you saved my life twice, and saved all of us from those monsters. We are indebted to you with our lives." Mulan pipes up.

"Well, I'd like to have breakfast here, please!"

"There, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

They go through to the dining room, and Zeph has the first meal in as long as he can remember. Once they are all finished, he gets up from the table.

"Well, I really should hurry. Thank you all so much for your help, and I'm sorry I have to leave so soon."

"You're very welcome, Zeph. If you ever need _anything_ feel free to stop by." Mulan and her Husband say together.

"Goodbye then- I'll try to stop by again as soon as possible."

"Goodbye Zeph."

The two see him out of the door, but Zeph makes sure nobody sees he enter the Lanes Between. Once out of this world, with his new handicap, Zeph sets off to the next world on the list- Disney Town. How could somewhere as cheerful as this have a tear in it, and at what cost to its populace? Whatever the case, Zeph will find out soon enough...

 **Chapter 11: Light in All Things**

watch?v=48MgwOm3MDo &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

As soon as Zeph lands, he is bowled over by the largest Heartless he has ever seen. Zeph couldn't make out any detail, but he quickly gets up and chases after the beast.

The creature leads Zeph across the main plaza, and down to some kind of race track.

It seems to stop and wait for him- does it want to race?

Upon a closer examination, Zeph notices that the Heartless is split up into different parts. Its legs seem like the wheels of a car, arms like racquets, its torso, a jukebox, and its head, a perfect orb.

"You want to race, do you?" Zeph asks, throwing out his Keyblade glider.

"Okay then- let's go! I'm faster than you think!"

watch?v=OTDWUirvNXk&ab_channel=PoloDaReaper

The Heartless moves off the line with a huge burst of speed, and Zeph pushes his Keyblade glider to keep up. Zeph is sure that, in a straight line, the Heartless would beat him, so Zeph does his best to exploit potential shortcuts, and lose as little time as possible in the turns.

At the end of the first lap, the Heartless is still ahead, but Zeph has closed the gap significantly. In one of the turns, Zeph notices a ramp leading up and across the hairpin, he uses this and gains a lead on the Heartless.

This seems to anger the beast, and it shouts at him, speeding up a little.

"You thought I'd let you win? Never!" Zeph shouts, cheerfully.

The Heartless accelerates full power and charges into Zeph, sending his spinning out of control.

"Oh, you did not just do that!" Zeph shouts after it- he had not intended to attack the creature, seeing as it wasn't fighting back. Zeph continues around the track, continuing to catch up to the Heartless in the turns.

"Take that!" Zeph shouts, as he shoots a ray of light at the Heartless.

The beam hits home, temporarily disabling the Heartless's driving force, allowing Zeph to cement a slight lead at the end of the third lap.

"Good, I just need to hold this for two more..." Zeph thinks as he crosses the line.

He hears the Heartless shout again, and its engine noises seem to get louder as it pushes itself to win the race.

By the beginning of the fifth lap, Zeph and the Heartless are neck and neck again.

Zeph continues to use every tool at his disposal to win the race without cheating. Suddenly there is a sound akin to an explosion the the Heartless's legs. Zeph looks back as he enters the final straight. The Heartless must have overworked itself, because its legs are smoking, and it has slowed significantly. Zeph crosses the line, and the Heartless grinds to a halt, accepting the defeat. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the Heartless's legs explode completely, and it rushes away from the track, levitating as it did before.

"This way now? Okay..." Zeph thinks. He knows that if he goes to close the tear now, the Heartless will attack him. He decides that it is worth trying to make the Heartless destroy itself trying to beat him at the games found around the town.

Next, the Heartless leads him to a kind of court with strange cannons at the side.

"What is this?" Zeph wonders, and with a stab of pain, but not a true vision, he remembers, thanks to Aqua, that this is a fruitball court.

"So you want to play fruitball now? Sure!" Zeph cheerfully says. His cheerfulness seems to have an effect on the Heartless. Perhaps because this world is so friendly, the Heartless here aren't as hostile as elsewhere.

The Heartless raises its arm which isn't a racquet high into the air, then swings it down to signify the start of the game. The cannons start firing huge fruit of various types and the Heartless hits them towards Zeph's half of the court.

Zeph does his best to send as much fruit back as possible, but when he hits a blackberry, it breaks up into its smaller parts, which scatter around. One of the cells falls outside the court, scoring the Heartless a point. The Heartless cheers, and Zeph notices it turns more blue.

This time, the cannons start by firing onto Zeph's side of the court. Zeph hits as many of the fruit as he can towards the Heartless, trying not to move his broken arm too much. The Heartless spins its arms around its body, deflecting fruit left right and centre, but it doesn't notice one that Zeph expertly curls around it, scoring a point. The Heartless looks a little disappointed, but not angry. Zeph notices the blue colour go back to being its normal purple. The cannons fire again, and the two have a long rally, but Zeph manages to score again by lunging as far as he could, delivering a shot that the Heartless couldn't catch up to. Again, that disappointed look- the purples seem to change to a colour favouring red. There are only a few minutes left of the game, and Zeph is in the lead, but the Heartless could still win.

They have another long rally, then the Heartless slams the a watermelon hard down, bouncing it too high for Zeph to hit it back, and it falls,scoring the Heartless another point. The game is very nearly over now, so it's next point wins. Zeph uses every trick he can think of which isn't cheating. The two continue to rally fruit back and forth for a long time, before, finally, Zeph hits a blackberry so hard that it explodes into a scatter too wide to hit back. The Heartless swings its arms around wildly, happy that Zeph played completely fair this time. Suddenly its arms come flying off and disappear in a mist of darkness. The Heartless looks at Zeph and he shrugs. It then turns and leads him back to the main plaza again.

The Heartless leads Zeph to a stage and indicates three different sections- Red, Green and Blue and then the ice cream machine. It starts playing music from its Jukebox torso, and the light in the middle flashes in time to the beat. Zeph guesses that he has to shoot the ice cream machine at each different section in time to the beat that he is given.

He watches and listens carefully when the Heartless plays again. He nods to the Heartless.

"I've got it!"

The Heartless play the tune again, but this time, the light on its chest is white. Zeph shoots in the order he remembers in time to the beat. The Heartless cheers, happy that Zeph got it right.

The Heartless plays the next part of the tune, and Zeph pay careful attention to the beat and colours. Next, it is his turn- the Heartless plays again, and Zeph shoots in the order he remembers, but the Heartless sighs with distaste and replays the melody with the colours. Zeph tries again, and gets it right this time. The Heartless continues to work through the tune, and, eventually, they reach the end. The Heartless seems delighted, and Zeph can't say he's not happy either, finally a world where he can have fun.

The Heartless indicated it wants to play again, but flashes all three colours and white, then does its little dance that it did when Zeph was playing himself.

"Wait- you want me to read as we go?" Zeph asks, and the Heartless does a backflip of joy. "Hard mode now... Got it!"

The Heartless starts to play, and the light goes from red to yellow to green with a slight ticking sound. Next, the light goes blue, and a white circle shrinks from the edges into the centre, when the circle closes, the beat plays, and Zeph shoots at the blue area.

The Heartless spins around, happily, and starts playing again, this time not stopping.

They work their way through the tune, and The Heartless does another backflip, playing clapping from its jukebox.

"Thanks" Zeph says, smiling at the creature, it would be such a shame to have to destroy it to get to the tear.

The Heartless bobbs up and down, then the jukebox stops levitating, and falls to the ground, disappearing in a black mist.

All that remains is the Heartless's head... It leads Zeph down underground, and into a large room filled with machinery. It flies up through a door which Zeph cannot reach.

Zeph looks around, and sees a green power cell like thing in the corner. He runs over to it and has a closer look. It seems to provide power to the machinery, but requires external electrical input to get started.

"Well... Umm... What now...?" Zeph wonders. He doesn't want to waste the power in his Wayfinder just to try to activate this thing on a whim. Zeph sits down, staring intently at the thunderbolt symbol on the generator, hoping to trigger some kind of realisation on how to cast thunder magic. After a little while, Zeph gets up and decides to hit the generator with his Keyblade, as soon as his Keyblade strikes, there is a terrible pain in his head, and he collapses.

He remembers Sora visiting an old wizard in Traverse Town. Sora goes into a room where the furniture seems to come alive. Sora casts some spells at the furnishings, and they disappear. Next, Zeph's mind's eye splits into three, and he sees Terra, Ventus and Aqua all standing in the place he is now. They all cast Thunder on the generator, and it switches on. Zeph sees Sora shoot a fireball at a door, and that opens. Suddenly, Zeph understands that magic is a tool as much as a weapon, and remembers his use of it on the cart in the Land of Dragons. The word "Thunder" echoes around his head, and it seems to become somehow more familiar to him.

Zeph wakes up, his head still hurting, and gets up. The Heartless is there and seems overjoyed that Zeph is okay. It bounces up and down, then floats back up to the door.

"I'm on my way!" Zeph shouts up at the Heartless, cheerfully. "Thunder!" Zeph shouts, and a bolt of lightning strikes the generator, kick-starting it. Suddenly all of the machines in the area re-activate and start moving again. Zeph jumps onto a platform which whisks him upwards, where he jumps across some hands which dangle from the ceiling and occasionally move to drop what they're holding. Next, Zeph makes his way across some rotating clockwork and some of the panels on the wall extend to try to push him off. Eventually, Zeph makes it over to the door and follows the Heartless inside.

Zeph walks through a corridor, and appears to come out in a room which has a giant pinball machine up one side. The Heartless bounces up and down, then jumps into the slot with the pinball launch mechanism. Zeph finds the controls for the pinball machine.

"You sure you want to use your own head as a pinball?" Zeph aks.

The creature cheers happily as if to say it is sure.

Zeph notices that there is a door in the centre of the pinball machine with some light bulbs above it. Beyond that door, Zeph can see the tear.

Zeph tries to get the pinball Heartless to bounce off of the brightly coloured pins. When he manages to hit one, one of the lights above the door switches on. Zeph continues to play pinball until eventually he manages to get the door open. The Heartless starts to levitate again, and looks down at Zephyrus, nodding. Then it turns around and melts into darkness, and is absorbed into the tear. Zeph uses the Pinball machine to get up to the tear, and closes it, surprised that the Heartless just let him close it.

Zeph heads back above ground, readying his Keyblade glider.

"Light in all things..." Zeph whispers to his Wayfinder as he gets onto his Keyblade glider. He opens a portal and heads back to the Lanes Between and then towards the next world- Olympus Colosseum...

 **Chapter 12: A Game, but Not a Toy**

watch?v=w40MkHTV17o &ab_channel=Everglow

Upon landing, Zeph looks around himself. He appears to be in the entrance to a large colosseum. Half expecting to collapse into a vision, Zeph continues to look around, unsure of what to do.

"You seen a ghost? What's wrong?" Zeph hears a voice ask from behind him.

"Oh, I... Umm..."

"You don't look too well- what happened to your arm? Are you here to participate in the games? What's your name? Are you listening? _Hello?_ "

Zeph looks at the man opposite him, eyes glazed over. Suddenly a pain tears through Zeph's head...

The vision depicts Ventus standing where Zeph is now. He sees the same man who is facing Zeph now, but he seems much younger.

The boy is chasing after somebody, the vision is eerily silent, however.

Something feels very wrong... Almost as if Zeph has been here before, at a different time.

"How is that possible?" The question echoes around his head.

"Who am I, really? Why do I have the Keyblade?" Zeph continues to wonder.

Suddenly, as if reacting to his thoughts, the vision changes. Zeph remembers Riku fighting somebody in a black cloak. Riku seems to be losing very badly.

"Why? Why do you wield the Keyblade?" Riku asks the mysterious figure.

"Shut up!" The cloaked boy says, striking, and sending Riku stumbling backwards.

"Fine... It seems I must release the darkness in my heart... Even if it changes me forever!" Riku shouts, taking his blindfold off. Suddenly a huge wave of darkness surges towards Zeph's viewpoint in the vision and he is forced out of it.

"Whose memories are these? Why are they in the third person?" Zeph wonders.

Next, Zeph remember Ventus fighting off huge numbers of small Heartless-like creatures in the town below he colosseum. Again, the dark vision appears, still elusive. The sorrow he feels now can be recognised as a loss, but what did he lose?

"Are you alright? Hey man!"

"Herc! What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be a hero! Why are you attacking that boy?"

"Phil! Come and help, I don't know what's going on!"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, I was just asking him why he was here and this happened."

"Maybe he's been possessed..."

"By whom?"

"No idea, right now let's put him in the vestibule."

Zeph feels himself being dragged through a doorway.

Once he's been put down, he tries to open his eyes.

"He's waking up!"

"Ugh... Zephyrus... Call me... Zeph..."

"Herc! Let me see! What's your name, boy?"

"He just said- Zephyrus."

"What happened out there?"

Zeph has fully opened his eyes by now, and looks at his two rescuers. One is definitely the boy he saw in the vision, all grown up, the other is half man-half goat.

"I... It just happens to me, don't worry about it." Zeph says.

"How can we help you if that's all you say? WHAT HAPPENED?" The goat-man shouts.

"I... Well, sometimes memories which aren't mine come out of my heart, when my brain tries to understand them, it puts me into agony." Zeph admits, reluctantly.

"You possessed by somebody? A god perhaps?" The goat man asks.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, big, tough-looking people... Usually incredibly awe-inspiring, with special powers? A GOD! You know, those people who keep the world working and all that?"

"I... Don't think so... I'm nothing particularly special, just an average Keyblade wielder..."

"Keyblade wielder, as in... _Keyblade wielder_...? _You_ can use the _Keyblade_?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Do you know who I am? Take a politer tone with me, boy."

"Sorry, but I can't say I do, for one... And two, there's something I need to do, quickly. Sorry if I seem rude, but I don't think either of you understand how important my mission is."

"Did you just say that?"

"Please, could you just let me past? I'm no threat to either of you and I'm sure you're good people, but I'm in a hurry."

"Herc, could you teach this boy some manners?"

"Really Phil? That seems a bit much..."

"If he's a Keyblade wielder, then we need to see if he's ready for the Games. Go on, you two! Out into the arena!"

watch?v=JsZ5OZXDPFc&ab_channel=Everglow

The goat man throws them out into the arena and scowls at both.

"What are you waiting for? _Fight!_ "

"I'm so sorry, Zeph..." The man he's supposed to fight says.

Zeph readies himself to dodge many attacks, remembering this man's name- Hercules. Zeph knows this won't be an easy fight.

Hercules charges at Zeph, sword in hand and swings hard, but Zeph expertly sidesteps the blow, spinning around and giving Hercules a smart tap on the back.

"Come on, Herc! You're better than that!" Phil shouts.

Hercules turns to face Zeph and slashes five times, which Zeph back steps past.

"You supposed to _fight_!" Hercules shouts at Zeph.

"Oh, am I? Well, I would, but you aren't my enemy." Zeph replies.

Hercules charges in with another heavy slash. Zeph jumps over Hercules's head, and then lightly pushes him.

"What are you _doing_?" Hercules is getting annoyed.

"What am _I_ doing? Well, that'd be dodging every single attack you throw at me..." Zeph says.

"Why don't you fight _back_?" Hercules asks, spinning around with a slash that Zeph cartwheels back to dodge.

"Herc! He's running circles around you! If you're not careful, I might take him as my new apprentice!" The goat man shouts from the side.

"I see no reason to fight you, Hercules. Why do you let him control you? If he's your trainer, then you should look for a new one. I've not received any training, as long as I can remember, and I could've beaten you easily. Your problem is simple-"

"Shut up! Phil is the best trainer in the land!" Hercules shouts, getting more angry, and slams his sword into the ground where Zeph was.

"You're letting yourself get angry, you need to stay in control." Zeph says.

"I am in control!" Hercules says, striking down onto Zeph, who has summoned his Keyblade to block.

"Are you?" Zeph says, deflecting the blow.

"Who _are_ you?" Hercules asks.

"Somebody who is in control..." Zeph says, parrying Hercules, and sending his sword flying over to Phil's feet.

Zeph hops back, putting his Keyblade away and beaming at Hercules.

"Herc, could you come here for a second?" Phil calls.

Hercules walks over.

"Okay, Herc... I need to tell you something... You... That's right- you, a demigod and champion... JUST GOT BEATEN BY A CHILD WITH A BROKEN ARM!" Phil scolds.

"Umm... Phil? I prefer the term 'young man' to 'child'. Sorry for interrupting you..." Zeph says.

"I'm... Sorry, Phil, I don't know what happened, I just..."

"You got cocky, that's what you did. You broke rule number one... Bump that, rule number ZERO! You broke rule number zero!"

"Phil, don't go so hard on him, he was only being nice."

"Being... _Nice_? Being 'Nice' isn't going to help you in the games, Herc! All this time rebuilding the colosseum must have made you go soft." Phil says, annoyed.

"Herc! Don't listen to him! If you want to be a hero, kindness is just as important as strength. It's all great being a fighter, but you can't be a true hero until you're a good person, too!" Zeph says.

"I've... Never heard truer words in my life, Zephyrus, was it? I don't know who you are, or where you're from, but it would be an honour to have you participate in the Games here." Phil says.

"Thanks, phil, but I'm not sure I have time for games..." Zeph says. Phil sighs, and goes back into the vestibule, gesturing for Zeph and Hercules to follow.

watch?v=w40MkHTV17o&ab_channel=Everglow

As Hercules and Phil leave, Zeph hears something behind him.

"Who's there?" Zeph asks.

"Very well done, you're very, very good." Zeph hears somebody say- they seem to be clapping, too. Zeph turns around to see a very grey man with a fire on his head.

"Who are you?" Zeph asks.

"Hades, god of the underworld, usher of souls, yadder, yadder- general nice guy. Keeps the dead dead and the living alive." The man says with a flourish.

" _You're_ Hades? As in a God?" Zeph asks.

"Sure am, now what do you say about a little deal?" Hades asks.

"What is it?"

"I know why you're here, you want to close the tear in the fabric of the world... Darkness world's heart... Monster's... Ugh! It's so _boring_! Well, you know what I say? You let me keep the tear, that way the people here can have the Games be much more interesting..." Hades says.

"Don't be ridiculous! I've never heard anything so foolish in my life! You want to keep the tear open so that it can be used as a _game_?" Zeph asks.

"Not _as_ a game... _For_ a game. It creates perfect little monsters for warriors to fight and try to make their way up the ladder!" Hades says.

"No, this is stupid- if I don't close the tear, everything will go out of hand- this world will fall into darkness..."

"Well, you see, I kind of mismarketed this whole affair... You see, because I already have control of the tear, and I've closed it temporarily. You can't seal it when it's like that, so I win, ha! Anyway, I have a champion to find, so I'd better go! Tootle-oo!"

"Wait! Hades!" Zeph shouts, running after the god, who is suddenly on the other side of the arena.

"Sorry, no time for games, I have a tournament to arrange!" Hades says, holding his hand up and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Annoyed with himself for letting Hades get away, Zeph walks back to the vestibule.

"Here he is! What was that about?" Phil asks.

"Just as the two of you left, Hades appeared out of nowhere and asked me to let this world come to ruin so that he can run some 'Games'" Zeph says.

"What do you mean?"

Zeph tells them about the tear and the consequences of its existence.

"Wait, so if you can't seal it properly, the _entire world_ will be destroyed?" Hercules asks.

"As far as I know, yes..." Zeph says, knowing he shouldn't tell them that this is not technically true, as the _entire world_ would include the Lanes Between and all of the smaller worlds found in them.

"So... what do we do?" Phil asks.

"Well, I assume Hades participates in the 'Hades Cup', right?" Zeph asks.

"He does, yes."

"If I could fight him and beat him, then he'd lose control over the tear temporarily, then I could seal it..." Zeph says.

"Well, I guess that would work, but there's a problem..." Phil says.

"What is it?"

"Not even Herc here could get that far into that tournament. It was made for Titans and Gods, not mortals like us. Although there was one person who managed to beat it..."

"Who?"

"Sora... He was a Keyblade wielder, too... Maybe you could do it."

"There, maybe it's worth a shot..."

"Well, Sora could do it, but only when he was in tip-top condition. You're not in great shape, Zeph..."

" _Thanks_ "

"Oh... Sorry- didn't mean it like that... Your arm..."

"No problem, I knew what you meant. But it doesn't really look like there's any other option..."

"Wait, Zeph there might be another way..." Hercules pipes up.

"What is it, Herc?" Phil asks.

"Doesn't Hades need a new champion?"

"He did say he was looking for one, yes..."

"Well, that means Zeph could volunteer... That would put Zeph much higher up in the seedings, that way he could fight Hades straight away, right?"

"I guess, being somebody's champion does put you on the same seed as them... That would mean we could change the rules as the Games start to make it so that they have to fight." Phil says.

"Seem like a plan?" Zeph asks.

"Well, there is a hitch..." Phil says.

"What is it?"

"Well, you can't just drop out, and Hades is not even nearly at the top of his leaderboard. You could close the tear, or whatever, but you'd still have to fight everything above Hades until you get knocked out." Phil says.

"Why's that a problem?"

"Well, if you're championing for somebody in the Hades cup... It's a survival match to either coming out on top, or your death..."

"Death?"

"Well, that is, you are banished to the underworld for ever more until you can come out on top..."

"That... wouldn't affect me, so it seems like a plan."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say I'm good at leaving places, even when I shouldn't be able to..." Zeph says, again, not wanting to let them know about there being any more worlds than their own.

"Okay then, well, seems like you should take the gate down into the underworld and go to meet Hades, then!" Phil says.

"Right, I'll be back later." Zeph says, turning to leave.

"And Zeph, don't stay down there too long, being in the land of the dead does strange things to the living!" Phil calls after him.

 **Chapter 14: Purpose**

watch?v=KIo51U4-vU0 &ab_channel=Everglow

After walking through the portal to the underworld, Zeph looks around to find himself in a dark cave-like area.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Zeph shouts, hoping that one of the souls of the Underworld will take notice of him. The sound bounces around the darkness, but with no response.

"Hrm, for somewhere the dead go, this place seems fairly empty." Zeph thinks.

Zeph walks forward a short way and stops just before a small pond of green water.

He crouches down and lifts some of the water in his hand.

"Why is this water green?" Zeph asks.

"Well, that's just the Underworld- it's very different to the land of the living!" A voice Zeph doesn't recognise calls out.

"Who, what, where?" Zeph asks, standing up.

"Well, that'll be the one and only lord of the dead and god of the underworld... HADES!"

"Really? And I'm the one who built the colosseum in the first place. Oh did I mention I was the one who created the gods, too?"

"You are? That's amazing!" The voice asks, confused.

"Well, I am just as much as you are Hades. I don't mean any harm, I just wish to speak to Hades."

Suddenly a tiny blue creature walks out from behind a rock.

"Well then, my name is Pain, I am the organiser of all of the Underworld's tournaments and one of Hades's chief staff members."

"Could you take me to him?" Zeph asks.

"I _could,_ but I'm not going to."

"Could you at least tell me where to find him, please?"

"Ooh, you have manners, do you? Well, okay then. Go through the giant blue door over there, just follow the path, it isn't exactly straight, but it only goes two directions."

"Thanks, so I just go down there and follow the course of the road?"

"Sure do. Although, I must ask, why do you wish to speak to Hades?"

"I want to volunteer to be his champion in the Hades cup."

"Really? Well, good luck with that..."

"Thanks for your help, goodbye." Zeph says, turning away from the creature and walking towards the giant blue door.

On the other side of the door, there is a large cave which looks like it leads to a natural corridor. Zeph walks towards the entrance, but a flash of light stops him in his tracks. Something feels strange, somehow different, not only is he cut off from his friends down here, but time feels distorted.

Zeph hears something moving behind him and turns around.

There is a man in a black cloak with his hood up who seems wavery, and not quite real.

The man quickly becomes more solid-looking and raises an arm to point at Zeph.

"Who are you?" Zeph asks, going into stance, but not summoning his Keyblade.

"The final part... Your purpose is almost complete..." The man says. "Continue to fight, grow stronger."

"What? My purpose? What do you mean?" Zeph asks, but the man has turned away. He snaps his fingers, there is another flash of light and darkness rises up from the floor, taking him away. Zeph feels as if time has returned to normal now, but still feels cut off from his friends. Zeph guesses that it must have something to do with being in the Underworld itself. Next, he hears another, more familiar sound behind him- that of Heartless appearing.

Zeph turns around, summoning his Keyblade, faced by dog-like Heartless.

"Trying to make me feel bad about stopping you now? Not going to help!" Zeph says, casting a fireball at one of his enemies and charging in to fight to rest.

After destroying all of the Heartless, Zeph moves on into the next part of the Cave of the Dead- a name Zeph remembered whilst he was fighting the Heartless. The next part consists of a long, somewhat maze-like corridor which seems to extend out in the direction of Hades's castle. After a short while, Zeph notices the occasional crashing sound.

"What was that?" Zeph wonders. Suddenly a rock falls out of the ceiling next to him.

"Wait, is this cave collapsing?" Zeph wonders, looking up at where the rock fell from. There is no implication at all that a section of the roof fell down there.

"Things can never be that simple, huh?" Zeph mutters turning away and walking faster than he was before down the corridor.

After a little while trying to navigate the cave, and fighting a few more Heartless, Zeph is able to find another wider part. Zeph looks around, confirming this place is different to where he saw the man in the black cloak. He notices that the darkness seems slightly further away here. Where he would have expected to fight Heartless, instead, he has a chance to rest. Zeph sits down, leaning on the cave wall- being in the Underworld has drained his stamina considerably.

"W-why am I so tired?" Zeph asks.

Suddenly a stab of pain surges through his head.

"In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes!" Zeph remembers Hades saying to Sora. The vision moves on, now showing Terra and Aqua facing one another, looking like they're about to fight.

"There are no victories, only truths." Zeph hears a voice say in the vision.

Terra and Aqua fight, they are very evenly matched, but suddenly darkness surges momentarily out of Terra's hand, he manages to contain it and keep fighting.

Next, Zeph sees Xehanort and another man speaking to Terra and Aqua.

"However, only one of you has shown the Mark of Mastery. Terra- you failed to keep the darkness in your heart sufficiently in check..." The man who Zeph assumes is their master says. Why was Xehanort there?

The Mark of Mastery... The exam all Keyblade wielders must pass in order to become a Keyblade master. Somehow, it feels slightly familiar to Zeph, but there's no way- he grew up in Twilight Town, right? Suddenly many words flash through Zeph's mind as the distorted vision which makes Zeph feel sad plays again. "Blizzard-Freeze", "Gravity- drift, crush", "Cure- heal", "Magnet- gather". The words reverberate calmly around Zeph's mind and he grows to understand each one, learning the spells attached.

Zeph wakes up from the vision clutching his head, he sits there a little longer, wondering why the distorted vision had not become any clearer like it had the other times.

"Maybe it reacts to the hearts of the worlds..." Zeph thinks- he has to move on in order for more to be revealed. Zeph pulls himself back to a stand, feeling somewhat refreshed- the visions might be a strange form of rest, but they are rest nonetheless.

Zeph walks through to the next part of the road. He is standing on a natural platform above a huge valley. With Hades's castle at the top, this place reminds Zeph of Maleficent's castle in the Enchanted Dominion. Zeph hastens up the path, destroying any Heartless he comes across on the way.

After a short walk, Zeph arrives at Hades's castle and knocks on the door politely.

The door swings open ominously and Zeph walks in.

"Who goes there?" A thunderously loud and awe-inspiring voice asks.

"My name is Zephyrus, lord Hades, I wish to volunteer as your champion in the Games."

" _Really?_ Well, come on in then!" Hades calls out in his normal voice.

Zeph walks into the throne room, slightly scared.

"Ah, it _is_ you, back for more, eh? Couldn't resist my offer?" Hades asks.

"It's not that, I just heard that you were looking for a champion in the games. I thought I could volunteer, so that I could make sure nothing got out of hand, plus I get to see what these 'Games' are..."

"Oh, so you want to try before you buy?" Hades asks, making a clipboard and pencil appear in his hands. "Well, you know, I like you, so we'll see... Hrm, yes I think... Perfect. Right, Zephyrus, was it? Who am I kidding, I know your name. Reknown status... Nobody? Scratch that... Somebody seems about right. Hair colour, brown... Eye colour, blue... blah blah, okay! Your documents seem to be in order, but before I send them off, I just want to see if I really want _you_ championing _me_."

"Thanks Hades. I'll do my best."

Suddenly Zeph feels himself being transferred to somewhere different.

watch?v=UJxP4GppBGo&ab_channel=Everglow

Once Zeph has caught his breath and regained his composure, he looks around to find himself in an arena of sorts.

"Right, simple test, really... Kill everything that moves other than yourself." Hades says, although Zeph cannot tell where from.

Suddenly Heartless appear all around him, and Zeph readies himself for a fight.

Zeph casts all of the attacking spells he knows at the Heartless, but soon finds he doesn't have metal energy to cast any more, so has to continue the fight the old fashioned way.

After a few minutes' fighting, the Heartless don't seem to be stopping and Zeph is getting increasingly tired.

"Feeling the burn yet? Yeah, the Underworld does that to living people... Still, keep fighting!" Hades says.

Zeph looks around again, trying to find Hades, but is hit in the side by one of the Heartless.

"Ouch! Ugh, all of you, just leave me alone! Wind!" Zeph says, casting a small tornado above his head.

Zeph, getting increasingly tired reaches for his Wayfinder and tries to contact his friends on it, but can't get through to any of them.

Zeph, now almost completely exhausted, curses his broken arm under his breath- he now can hardly even defeat weak Heartless with three strikes, sometimes even four.

"What's wrong, hero? Having trouble?" Hades taunts, "You want to be my champion, you need to prove you're worth hiring, so just fight!"

Starting to get angry, Zeph lashes out at each of the Heartless, taking them down one by one.

"Drift!" Zeph shouts, creating a small anti-gravity field, a variant of the gravity spell he learnt. Some of the Heartless are picked up by the field, and Zeph jumps at them, sending them whirling off into the walls of the arena. They land, confused by the spinning, and attack even fellow Heartless.

"Clever... Too tired to do the dirty work? Make them do it for you." Hades says, "You're almost done, come on! You can do it!"

Zeph manages to finish off the remaining Heartless, and looks around. Suddenly Hades appears in front of him, clapping.

"Very, very well done- you weren't supposed to be able to do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean that the challenge you just succeeded at was impossible."

"Impossible?"

"Yes, and evidently not. I made that challenge as something to put Hercules through once I got him here. He wouldn't have been able to do it."

"Well, I'm a Keyblade wielder, it makes Heartless much, much easier to kill for me."

"In any case, one more quick test, then you're definitely hired!"

Hades snaps his fingers and disappears.

watch?v=yQMcPxUsg3Q&ab_channel=Everglow

Suddenly Zeph feels his blood burn, it is a very strange sensation, but after it is over, he feels revived.

"Right, there you are... Wait- why aren't you full of darkness now? Oh well... I refuelled you, so now we're ready for the final exam. Not entirely sure what this thing is, or where it's from, but hey! Have fun, little man!"

Suddenly, a giant white creature with a blue scarf appears in front of Zeph. It definitely isn't a Heartless... This must be a type of Nobody.

Zeph feels a pain in his head, and can think of only Twilight Town and something, a name- 'Roxas'... Who could this Roxas be? Why is his name so similar to Sora's?

Zeph puts a hand on his head, and shakes the pain away, looking back up, right into the Nobody's face.

Zeph jumps back ready to fight this creature and end this once and for all.

With a flash of light, Zeph is floating high above the arena, his able hand and legs pinned in place by a strange light. Zeph tries with all his might to escape the snare his enemy has put him in.

The Nobody floats up towards Zeph and wheels back as if to attack. Zeph continues to try to break out of his bonds, then eventually, just as the Nobody is about to strike, he breaks out and plummets back towards the Arena floor. Zeph throws his Keyblade at the Nobody which seems to have tangled itself up due to swinging its arm too hard.

Landing hard down on both feet, Zeph quickly gets up and jumps onto the Nobody's tangled back, running up to the back of its neck, and striking with all the force he can muster.

The force of the blow sends the Nobody reeling away, rippling like water. Zeph can't hold on, so jumps off the creature's back and turns to face it.

The Nobody has turned itself into a ring, and is starting to spin around, with strange, jagged lines surging around it. Suddenly, some of these lines shoot out at Zeph, he quickly sidesteps them, and immediately more attack him. Zeph notices that for a moment after being shot, the lines are solid. Zeph waits, dodges another line, then jumps onto it, the next shoots out, and Zeph jumps onto that. Gradually, Zeph makes his way up to the Nobody itself. Zeph jumps up and slices the creature as much as he can. The centre of the ring flashes with light, then the creature gradually fades away.

As soon as Zeph lands, he turns around, hearing a clapping sound from behind him.

"Very, very well done. Whatever that thing was, it seemed pretty strong, but you could still take it down. I'll be happy to let you champion me, but if this is some plot to overthrow me or something, I'll show you hell." Hades says.

"Show me hell, huh? Looks like I've already seen it!" Zeph says, smiling at Hades, putting his hands behind his head. A sting of pain reminds Zeph that this is the pose Sora has pulled very often when with his friends.

"Ha, funny... Anyway, we have some games to get to and no time to lose." Hades says, disappearing in smoke. Suddenly Zeph feels himself being pulled out of the underworld, too.

watch?v=w40MkHTV17o

Zeph is back at the entrance of the colosseum, he can't see Hades, so he walks back to the vestibule.

"Oh, you're back- how'd it go?" Phil asks.

"I am now Hades's champion for the games." Zeph replies, trying to sound as heroic as possible.

"Good, well the games are due to start in a couple of hours. You should have a quick train, then rest until it's time."

"Okay, got it- Herc, you want to train with me?" Zeph asks.

"Sure, I'll be out in a minute."

The two go out into the arena and train for about an hour, before going back to the vestibule.

After another hour's rest, Phil rouses Zeph.

"Right, lazybones- time to go. Hades has formally entered you, but didn't read the contract saying you'd have to fight."

"W-w-w-w-wait!" Hades says, appearing in the vestibule. "So you're saying I have to fight my own champion now? What idiot made that rule? Don't they know the point of a champion?"

"Well, there's no point having a champion if he's no better than you, right?" Hercules says.

"Rrgh... Fine! I'll fight him, but when I find out who did this, they're in for a world of hurt!" Hades says, evidently extremely annoyed at the sudden rule change.

Zeph and the God go out into the colosseum and face one another.

"You'd better have nothing to do with this, pipsqueak. Don't think for a minute I'm going to go easy on you!" Hades says. Zeph summons his Keyblade, unphased.

watch?v=RSn23ReXfyQ

Hades flares up, his grey skin turning red.

"I'm on fire!" He shouts, becoming cloaked in flame.

"Hmph, Hades- I know you aren't very strong, don't tire yourself out now. You might as well forfeit." Zeph says, flourishing his Keyblade.

"How dare you-" Hades starts to say when suddenly the tear opens without warning and tendrils of darkness flow out of it into hades. The fire around him turns to a strange black colour, enveloped in darkness.

Shocked by the sudden change in affairs, Zeph jumps back readying himself for a tough fight.

Hades starts by throwing a huge fireball at Zeph, who tries to block it normally, but doesn't expect it to split up into many smaller ones just before impact.

Zeph feels the dark fire starting to catch on his jacket, which he quickly takes off and throws backwards. The dark blue article flies back, catching properly alight and shooting upwards into the sky.

"You're going to pay for that!" Zeph jokes. "Freeze!" He shouts, launching the largest orb of ice he can at Hades, who seems to simply absorb the magic.

"That all you've got?" Hades asks in a distorted voice, throwing another fireball.

Zeph dives to dodge the orb of flame, which impacts hard into a floor tile, sending pieces of rock scattering.

"Drift!" Zeph shouts, casting the Zero Gravity spell, causing all of the debris to float in the air.

"Wind!" Zeph follows up by casting a tornado which pulls the rubble and Hades in, delivering a staggering number of hits to the possessed God.

This attack seems to deal a tiny bit of damage to Hades, who seems to grow more angry as a result.

Zeph stands completely still, weighing up his enemy, ready to react to anything.

Hades holds both his arms out horizontally and a huge gout of fire comes out of both. Hades starts to slowly spin around, and Zeph walks around him at the same speed.

Suddenly Hades brings both his arms around to point in front of him, pointing the columns of flame straight at Zeph, who jumps backwards, landing hard on his back on the ground, just avoiding the attack. As Zeph is falling, he notices a dark figure levitating behind Hades. Hades stops shooting fire shortly after, expecting Zeph to be dead.

As soon as he is able, Zeph gets up and uses a burst of wind magic to catapult himself high into the air, doing a front flip and silhouetted in the sun, the light reflects off of Zeph's Keyblade before he brings it down in a crushing blow to the phantom which was possessing Hades. Zeph lands in a forward roll, spinning around at the end to face Hades.

"Ugh... What happened? Z-Zephyrus? Wait, I'm supposed to be fighting you!"

"If you want..." Zeph says through gritted teeth, performing a spinning uppercut which sends Hades flying across the arena.

"I just beat whatever Heartless was possessing you, and if I have to beat you too, so be it." Zeph says pointing his Keyblade at Hades.

"Y-you know that we could just talk this out? I let you close the tear and you leave me alone?" Hades says.

"You sure? I'd be happy to do that." Zeph says.

"Okay, I'll forfeit the match whilst you close the tear." Hades says.

Zeph expects something is amiss, but decides that this is his best bet. He puts on his armour and quickly closes the tear.

"Ha! You think I'd just forfeit? You're as stupid as you look!" Hades says.

"Sure am! Bye!" Zeph says before jumping, doing a graceful backflip to land behind Hades and strike the God with his Keyblade again.

Zeph throws his Keyblade, which arcs around Hades.

"Ha! You missed!" Hades taunts.

"Did I?" Zeph asks, armouring up, as his Keyblade glider rams through Hades's back.

Just then Hercules runs out.

"Hades! You said you'd forfeit the match! Stop fighting!" He shouts, drawing his sword and hurrying over to Zeph. "Don't worry, I'll take it from here, you do what you need to do!"

"Thanks, I have to be going- give Phil and Meg my best. See you around!" Zeph says, setting off on his glider.

Once Zeph is through the portal, he blows a sigh of relief. A little annoyed at the loss of his jacket, he turns and heads towards the next and penultimate world on the list- Neverland.

 **Chapter 15: Failure**

watch?v=nhywgXDxZH0

As Zeph is traveling through the Lanes Between, suddenly a giant space ship cruises past.

"Woah!" Zeph can't help exclaiming. Suddenly a giant Heartless comes past him towards the ship.

"No you don't!" Zeph says, activating his boosters to catch up.

A few smaller Heartless try to stop Zeph, but he shoots them out of the way.

Zeph sees the giant Heartless fly into the ship, and pushes to catch up.

Suddenly he feels some force pulling him towards the ship.

"Wait, woah!" He exclaims as he is pulled off his Keyblade glider and up into the ship's cargo hold.

Zeph pulls himself upright and looks around. The Heartless seems to be heading down a corridor which leads deeper into the ship. Zeph quickly chases after it, but is blocked off when Heartless appear to surround him.

"Let me through!" Zeph shouts at the creatures, summoning his Keyblade. He is sure that if he can't stop the giant Heartless, something terrible will happen.

Quickly eliminating the smaller Heartless which are in his way, Zeph hurries after the giant one.

Suddenly an alarm starts to go off.

"Intruders detected! Alert! Alert!" A robotic voice calls out.

The sound of the alarm only encourages Zeph to hurry even more.

Slowed by his armour, Zeph is having trouble keeping up with his enemy. He decides to take the risk of there being no breathable air in the ship when the Heartless reaches a corner. Zeph takes off his armour and speeds up significantly in his pursuit. Zeph turns the corner, and sees a closing blast door. He throws his Keyblade, which jams the threshold open, so that he can continue to follow his adversary.

"Stop right there!" A voice calls from behind Zeph. "You're under arrest, surrender and we will be merciful!"

"I'm sorry, but I need to destroy that Heartless, we can talk afterwards." Zeph says, ignoring whomever is behind him.

Zeph quickly goes through the blast door, looking around himself to try to find the Heartless again. Zeph spots it going down a corridor marked "No unauthorised access, engine room ahead.

"Oh no." Zeph thinks, pushing himself harder to keep up with the Heartless.

After a little more chasing, Zeph comes out into a large space with tanks and all sorts of technology all over it. He can't see the Heartless, but knows it is in here.

Suddenly, the Heartless appears in front of Zeph. It is similar to the digital Heartless he fought before, however, it is more like an animal than a machine.

It looks like a cross between a chameleon, an angelfish and a space ship, Zeph has no idea what it will be capable of.

The creature had been levitating, but lands now, making a scraping sound as its claws grind against the metal of the ship. The Heartless blinks silently at Zeph, but this action carries as much weight as a roar. Zeph jumps back and summons his Keyblade, hearing the person who was behind him curse as the blast door fully closes.

Distracted by this sound, Zeph looks back, and when he turns back to face the Heartless, it has disappeared again.

"So now you turn invisible? Great, just great..." Zeph says, listening closely.

Zeph can hear the clattering sound the Heartless's feet make on the floor and walls.

Zeph sees a crack start to appear in one of the containers of liquid.

"Don't you dare!" Zeph shouts, throwing his Keyblade at where he thinks the Heartless must be. The weapon bounces off the wall and clatters down to the ground before reappearing in Zeph's hand.

Zeph watches on helplessly as the Heartless is able to break open the container. A different alarm starts.

"Warning, engine cooling tanks damaged, repair immediately or evacuate the ship!"

"What have you done?" Zeph asks the creature. "This is my fault, I should have been stronger..." He thinks. Zeph closes his eyes as takes a hold of his Wayfinder.

"Ven... You are strong enough, you just need to believe in yourself." A female voice says. "There's always hope, even in the face of defeat- you just need to see through your heart." it continues. Suddenly, through his closed eyes, Zeph sees the Heatless crawling around. Thanking whoever it was who saved him, Zeph throws his Keyblade again. This time it hits home, knocking the Heartless off of the wall. It disappears and Zeph opens its eyes. The Heartless is lying on its back, struggling to get on its feet. Zeph charges in and attacks it.

Zeph hears an explosion coming from the other end of the room, and the alarms intensify.

"Ship integrity compromised! Evacuate immediately! Estimated time until explosion... Five minutes..."

Knocked over by the shockwave caused by the explosion, Zeph is dazed for a moment. Zeph hears a terrifyingly loud scraping sound, and sees the Heartless starting to tear a hole in the wall of the ship. Zeph puts his armour on, before being pulled off his feet and out into the lanes between. He can still hear the alarms, which have recalculated to 10 seconds.

Zeph gets on his Keyblade glider, and looks around for the Heartless. He sees it moving away in the direction of Neverland, but turns away from it. Zeph sees a huge number of escape pods fire out from the ship, before it explodes in spectacular fashion. One of the pods seems to be a small, full-fledged ship, and that starts to cruise away towards a different beach word which Zeph doesn't recognise. It isn't the Destiny Islands.

"No time to check..." Zeph thinks.

Disappointed in himself for letting this happen, Zeph hurries after the Heartless, setting back off for Neverland...

 **Chapter 16: Forever a Child**

watch?v=MSmC78sx8eU &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Upon landing in Neverland, Zeph looks around, keen to find the Heartless he failed to destroy in Deep Space. Zeph seems to be at the top of a set of giant waterfalls.

Zeph decides to try to find a way down and find somebody to ask about the Heartless.

Zeph quickly reaches a kind of Gully and looks around.

"Let's go on an expetition!" He hears a child say. Zeph quickly moves to hide behind a rock, worried he might shock the speaker.

"Yeah! Let's go! I love expetitions! Could we go, Peter? Pretty please?" A different voice asks.

"We'll see, but what I don't understand is why you two lost interest in that column of light..." A third voice says.

Zeph realises that these boys must have seen the light created by his landing.

Suddenly, Zeph hears the sound of claws against rock...

"You three! Get out of here! It isn't safe!" Zeph shouts, jumping out and managing to block the Heartless's attack from killing the three boys.

"Woah! What's that? Who are you?" One of the boys asks.

"Nnrgh... Please, get... away from here- you'll be killed if you don't." Zeph says through gritted teeth- his one arm is not strong enough to hold back the Heartless much longer.

"Right you two, we need to get out of here now- this guy can deal with that- we need to go and find Tinks as soon as we can." The oldest of the boys says, taking the two others' hands, and flying away, despite their protest.

Zeph releases a sigh of relief, as he spins out of the block. The Heartless's claws cut a deep gash into the rock where Zeph was standing just a moment before, and the creature looks at him and licks its eyes.

Zeph hops back, Keyblade in hand, ready to fight his enemy for real this time.

Evidently, the Heartless has other ideas, as it walks away.

"Is it... leading me somewhere?" Zeph wonders- the creature has not once actually attacked Zeph. What does it want?

Zeph hurries after the Heartless, hoping that next time it won't get away.

After a short trek down the mountains, Zeph reaches a wooded area with a small clearing. Peculiarly, there is a lone tree in the centre of the clearing.

Zeph walks up to the tree to investigate, and can hear scraping sounds coming from inside.

"There you are!" Zeph mutters under his breath, as he opens a small door in the base of the tree.

Zeph walks through the door and comes out into a relatively spacious home-like area.

The Heartless is on the other side of the room, and turns to face Zeph.

It climbs onto the ceiling and walks over Zeph's head, once again escaping him.

Fed up of this chase, Zeph decides to look for a clue in this house.

Zeph comes across a small chest filled with all kinds of things. Suddenly pain shoots through his head, and he collapses into another vision.

In his vision, Zeph sees Terra speaking with an elaborately dressed man with a hook for a hand. Terra is told to defend the light in the chest that Zeph is looking at now.

The older boy who could fly comes down and tries to steal the chest, Terra fights him, but soon realises he has been tricked- the "light" in the chest was in fact, just gold.

Next, Zeph sees the other two boys carrying the chest, it doesn't have gold in it anymore, but is instead full of the boys' own treasures, and a wooden model Keyblade.

"One day, I'm going to become a Keyblade master!" Zeph remembers Ventus saying this phrase so often, his one dream. This toy sword must have been from before he had his own actual Keyblade.

The vision moves on, to show a masked boy holding the wooden Keyblade and the distorted vision is layered over it. Zeph can make out much more detail now, he is walking along with somebody in a world made out of orange coloured bricks. Suddenly, dark forms appear all around him and his friend. The creatures jump at Zeph, and just as they are about to hit Zeph, in the main vision, the masked boy snaps the toy Keyblade in half with a resounding crack, sending the huge pain and sorrow through Zeph's head once again and the vision fades.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zeph hears a voice say.

Rubbing his stinging head, Zeph sits up.

"You're crying, what happened?" The green-clad flying boy is standing in front of him.

"I... I'm fine- don't worry about it." Zeph says.

"You're not- I would never cry for no reason! Anyway, my name's Peter- Peter Pan. What's yours?" He asks.

"Z...Zephyrus- pleased to meet you. Call me Zeph."

"That's a strange name... No offence, of course- do you know Sora? He had a weapon like yours." Peter asks.

"Not exactly... I know who he is, but I've never met him, or anything." Zeph has perked back up now.

"Oh, oh well. Welcome to Neverland! If you don't mind me asking- what brings you here?"

"It's a long story. To start, there's that Heartless that attacked you. Also, there's a tear in this world- one which reaches right into its heart, allowing darkness to seep in, causing even more Heartless to appear." Zeph says, and continues, "But something doesn't feel quite right- I can tell the tear is in this world, but it seems to be so far away..."

"Really...? I think I can help with that, but we'll need to find my friend Tinkerbell first." Peter Pan says.

"You'll help me? Thanks Peter- do you know where we'll have to go?" Zeph asks.

"I don't know, but I think I can make a good guess." Peter says. Zeph senses that mischief is brewing.

"Okay then, lead the way!" Zeph says, pleased to have somebody along to help him out.

The two of them continue to walk towards the coast and on the way, have to fight many Heartless.

In a slight gap between fights, Zeph decides to ask some questions.

"So, Peter- why can you fly?" He asks.

"Oh, I can fly because of my friend Tinkerbell- she's a pixie, if she gives you some pixie dust, you can fly!" Peter replies.

"So that's why we need to save her first? So that I can fly to the tear with you?"

"Sure is! Also, I'd like to get my friend back."

"Well, of course- that's a given! Anyway- how much further is it?"

"Not very far now, we're almost at the cove, where we can row over to Skull Rock, and that's where I'd bet Tinks is."

"Got it."

The two continue to walk, and have to fight a few more Heartless, but make short work of the creatures with their combined force.

After an hour or so, they reach a small cove which leads into the sea, where, a short ways out, there is an island shaped like a skull.

"There it is! Skull Rock... If there's anywhere I could bet on Tinks being held- it's there." Peter says.

"Okay then, so I guess we need to row across?" Zeph asks.

"Well, if you don't have a better way, probably..." Peter says.

The cove is too enclosed for Zeph to use his Keyblade glider, so Zeph has to row the small raft across to the island whilst Peter flies ahead.

watch?v=Xk9dyREdRWA&ab_channel=Everglow

When Zeph arrives on the island, he hears a man screaming from inside, and hurries to help. Inside, The giant Heartless has Peter Pan and two other men pinned against a wall.

"Hey! You! Leave them alone!" Zeph shouts at the creature, running and jumping onto its back, and gripping tight with his legs, striking the beast with his Keyblade, wishing his arm would hurry up and get better.

The Heartless jumps back and shakes Zeph off, turning to face him. It licks its eyes like a chameleon before turning invisible.

"All of you! Get out of here, quickly!" Zeph shouts, and Peter grabs hold of the two men and flies away, despite their protest.

Zeph closes his eyes and attunes his senses in order to try to find his enemy. He can hear the creature walking around, and tries to triangulate its exact position.

Suddenly, he hears it moving much more quickly and opens his eyes, to see it lunging towards him. He manages to dive out of the way at just the right time, and the Heartless's claws get stuck in the stone floor. Zeph takes this opportunity to hit the Heartless with all of his force. "Fire!" "Freeze!" "Thunder!" The Heartless shrugs off the spells as if they were nothing. "Gravity!" Zeph casts one final spell, hoping this would yield a greater effect. The crushing force of the gravity spell clearly deals heavy damage to the Heartless, as it grows angrier, and pulls its claws out of the ground.

Zeph jumps back, ready for his enemy's next attack. He can see that his spell seems to have set some the Heartless's scales into place, and now, when it turns invisible, not all of its scales disappear. The creature circles him, and Zeph stands still, waiting for it to strike. It pounces, and Zeph is not quite able to jump out of the way in time. The creature pins Zeph to the floor and howls, raising a clawed arm up to strike the final blow. Zeph readies himself to die.

As Zeph closes his eyes, and the Heartless licks its lips, raising its arm even higher, Zeph can hear a twinkling sound coming from behind the Heartless. The Heartless's arm starts to move down, when suddenly, a tiny sparkling shape flies past, sprinkling Zeph with a glowing dust. Suddenly, he feels lighter and is able to slide out from under the Heartless's clawed hand.

Panting with the effort, Zeph jumps up and throws his Keyblade at the Heartless's face.

The weapon hits with devastating force, sending the creature wheeling backwards.

Zeph runs forward, and suddenly Peter Pan is there, too. The two of them strike together onto the Heartless's stunned head.

The creature is sent back another few paces, and Peter pan unleashes a blinding flurry of stabs and cuts to it. Finally, Zeph strikes with a powerful jumping attack, and the creature becomes enveloped in light, before the heart inside it breaks free, and floats slowly upwards.

watch?v=MSmC78sx8eU&ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

"Well, that's that dealt with. Thanks for helping me out there." Zeph says.

"No problem- Tinks told me you were in danger, so I couldn't just let you stay in there with that thing." Peter replies cheerfully, "Now- we need to get you to fly so that we can see the tear, don't we?"

"Yes please!" Zeph says.

"Tinks, if you would, please?" Peter says to the pixie.

The sparkly fairy flies around Zeph a few times, and he starts to feel much lighter and somewhat stronger.

"There you go!"

"Thanks, both of you! Without your help I'd be in trouble for sure!"

"No problem, just happy to help!"

"Where to next?"

"Well, if it won't take too long, then I won't need to tell the rest that we're going. Anyway- we're headed to London in that case! Follow me, Zeph!"

Peter flies away, and Zeph jumps up to follow, but has trouble flying.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot you haven't done this before- you just need to believe you can fly, and you'll be able to, simple as that!" Peter says, turning around.

Zeph closes his eyes and believes, sure enough, slowly at first, he feels himself rising off of the ground.

Zeph quickly floats up beside Peter Pan, and the two fly off towards London, the clock tower and the penultimate tear...

"We're almost there, just keep going in this direction. I should really make sure everyone else is okay in Neverland. Hope everything goes well for you Zeph."

"Really? Okay then, see you Peter. Thanks so much for your help. I don't know when I'll see you again, but I'll do my best to to see you as soon as I can!"

"Okay then, see you Zeph!" Peter says, flying off in the opposite direction.

Zeph takes a hold of his wayfinder.

"Soon, Ven, soon." He mutters to the trinket.

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Zeph feels the tear's proximity now, and knows he's almost there, but something is wrong...

Zeph looks beside him as he is flying along, and there is a giant, phantom Heartless next to him. Zeph banks hard away from the Heartless, summoning his Keyblade and readies himself for a fight.

A pain shoots through Zeph's head, as he suddenly understands the word "Time" in much more detail.

The Heartless casts some kind of spell on the clock tower, and Zeph somehow feels attached to the ticking of the clock. Zeph notices that the Heartless's heart is visible, but surrounded in a colourful energy field.

The clocks ticking continues, and Zeph starts to realise, he feels weaker.

"What did you do to me?" Zeph asks the Heartless, which is hanging in the air in front of the clock. It raises an arm to point at him, then an idea rushes into Zeph's mind.

"I have... a minute? Is that what you mean? In any case- better get to work, then!" Zeph says, and he flies as quickly as he can towards the Heartless and strikes its heart. Nothing. Confused as to how the Keyblade could not have been able to damage a Heartless, Zeph strikes again, his Keyblade bounces off the shield leaving it completely undamaged.

Very aware of the clock ticking behind him, Zeph turns away from the Heartless and tries to stop its motion.

Suddenly, the phantom's skeletal fingers are wrapping themselves around Zeph's waist, and he struggles to get free.

"Get off of me!" He shouts, panicking, as he realises that the Heartless has no intention of letting go for the remaining time Zeph has left.

"I... Need more... Time..." Zeph thinks, doing his best to calm down. "Yes! That's it! Stop!" Zeph casts his newest spell on the clock. It freezes in place, and Zeph feels his strength returning to him. Zeph hits the Heartless's wrist with his Keyblade, and suddenly the dark mass of its hand loses its solid form. Zeph quickly flies back and readies himself to fight for real.

The Heartless swoops forward, its hand glowing, and strikes Zeph, dealing heavy damage.

Zeph is sent flipping over backwards through the air, and is stunned by the force a phantom-like creature can put behind an attack.

Once he has righted himself, Zeph sees that the colour of the shield around the Heartless's heart has changed to a near-transparent white. Zeph quickly feints in and strikes the heart. This time, the Heartless is staggered backwards and clearly hurt. The heart fades away, and the creature flies over to in front of the clock, where it charges up a purple fireball. The creature sends the orb of flame at Zeph, who tries as hard as he can to dodge it, but cannot. The fireball starts to spin around Zeph, and hurts him periodically.

Now badly wounded, Zeph stays back from the Heartless and casts a healing spell.

Tired, but still able to fight, Zeph goes back in, closer to the Heartless, and notices the unmistakable sound of the clock starting to tick again.

Zeph diverts off his course, and after 5 more of his 20 remaining seconds, manages to stop the clock again.

Now very low on the mental energy required to cast spells, Zeph tries to attack the Heartless again. The heart disappears, and the Heartless hurries back to the clock face, casting another fireball. Zeph, knowing the attack is undodgeable, flies in and makes the fireball spin off of its trajectory and hit the phantom. Although it seems to do no damage to the creature, it does make the heart reappear, this time, however, it is red. Knowing basic attacks don't work, Zeph decides to try his magic- red means fire, he thinks, so he casts a fireball of his own at the Heartless. The spell hits home, and the Heartless clearly takes more damage. Angered, it moves closer to Zeph, both hands glowing, and its Heart currently invisible. The Heartless attacks thrice in a row- once with each hand, and finishes with a savage, two-handed blow. Zeph dodges the first two, and tries to block the last. The Heartless grabs a hold of Zeph's Keyblade and tries to wrench it from his hands. Zeph finds himself staring into the empty hood of the phantom, and feels a shudder go down his spine.

The Heartless is able to tear Zeph's Keyblade from his hands, and Zeph also notices that the clock has started again.

Zeph resummons his Keyblade quickly as he flies over to the clock. The Heartless is relentless in its pursuit, and manages to grab onto Zeph's leg. Zeph turns around and tries to cut the hand as he did before, but he cannot. Instead, Zeph looks at the heart, which is now blue. He casts a blizzard spell at the phantom, and it has to let go.

His heartbeat in his mouth, Zeph makes it back to the clock, as it reaches the "Eleven" mark.

"Stop!" Zeph shouts, as the clock's hand starts to move to the "Twelve" mark.

With the crisis averted, Zeph turns again to face the Heartless , which has shot another fireball. Zeph can't avoid it, and instead takes the blow, throwing his Keyblade at the Heartless, then, as it strikes, using its power in reverse in a way which he doesn't know, Zeph teleports up to the Heartless and delivers a decisive blow onto the creature's heart. The phantom staggers back and starts to lose its balance as its heart begins to float upwards. The black fabric of the cloak, now lifeless trails after the heart for a few moments, before fading away. Zeph flies over to the tear, still panting with the adrenaline, and closes it.

"Just one more..." He thinks as he throws out his Keyblade glider, armours up, and heads back into the Lanes Between. His next, and final target is located on an ancient battleground in a wasteland un-inhabited by all save thousands of lifeless forms...

 **Chapter 17: New Mysteries**

watch?v=OoCbMsVWvT4 &ab_channel=Everglow

As soon as Zeph touches down in the Keyblade Graveyard, he is beset by dark creatures. Zeph fights them off as best he can- they don't seem to be Heartless- almost all of them carry an emblem which is different to that of the Heartless.

"What are these things?" Zeph wonders, as he strikes down an enemy which looks a lot like the pureblood Heartless, the shadow, but is blue, and its antennae are pointed away from its head.

After a bit more fighting, the creatures stop reappearing, and Zeph looks around. He is in the centre of a round rock formation with an exit just in front of him. Zeph walks forward and looks out over the badlands. There are rock spires as far as the eye can see- no signs of life at all. Zeph turns to his right and follows the path to find himself at the bottom of a large canyon with a few rock spires dotting it. Enthusiastic to finish his job, Zeph hastens in the direction of the tear, and starts to feel a strong, depressing connection to this world. What happened here? Usually the worlds are full of life, but this is simply a wasteland filled with nothing but rocks and some Not-Heartless.

More of the dark creatures appear around Zeph, and he is forced to fight, as a tornado appears around him and his enemies. Zeph fights them, some are distinctly coloured pot-shaped creatures which use magic corresponding to their colour. Some are hourglasses which can slow Zeph down. Others are full of a flammable gas, which, if Zeph trikes anything other than the valve on their back more than 3 times, explode.

Doing his best to learn as he fights, Zeph destroys the enemies, and eventually, the windstorm around him subsides, and he moves on.

The same process happens twice more, until Zeph is able to make his way through the Twister Trench, and arrive in some kind of Fissure. Zeph gets the feeling that this will be his last chance to rest for a long time, so he sits down, looking towards the tear, he can see it through a thin passage. Zeph feels that familiar pain shoot through his head as he notices that, beside the tear, are hundreds and hundreds of lifeless Keyblades.

In the vision, Zeph can see Aqua walking towards Terra.

"I heard... The master was struck down..." She says.

"That's right... I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it..." Terra says, Aqua is shocked. "The master... He tried to hurt Ven, I only fought because I wanted to protect him. But I was tricked- Xehanort set the whole thing up! All so he could awaken the darkness inside me... You were right Aqua, the master, too- I did need to be watched! I went astray, but no more!"

"What else is darkness but hate and rage? You'll go astray again..." Aqua says, but stops as she sees Ventus walking towards them.

"Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight, to forge some kind of Key-blade... But the master said we can't let that happen, and he tried to destroy me for it... I still don't know exactly what it is, but it scares me to death, just the thought of it..." He says.

"Relax, Ven- we're here, and we're going to take care of you." Terra says, putting his hand on Ven's shoulder.

"I may have to fight Vanitas after all- I want you to-"

"The three of us can never be torn apart, okay?" Terra says. Aqua puts her hand on Ven's cheek and smiles at him. Ven takes a hold of his friends hands, and takes them off of him.

"I'm asking you, as a friend, just... put an end to me..." Ventus says. The whole time through the vision, it has been flickering, and Ventus has been switching periodically back and forth between looking like Ventus, and looking like Zephyrus. The distorted vision now starts to play, this time on its own. Zeph is walking along- he is younger, much younger, still a child. He has somebody of the same age with him- a girl, who is his best friend. The vision doesn't have any sound yet, and Zeph cannot remember her name or any real detail about her.

They are walking through the tram common of Twilight Town towards the forest when Heartless appear to surround them. Zeph and his friend are shocked, and the Heartless attack, as they strike, the pain starts, but this time, Zeph sees his friend fade away, but he survives. The vision ends. That's what the pain was the whole time- his heart could still remember the loss of his friend, but his mind released the other memories stored in it and took the pain into itself in order to prevent Zeph's heart from truly realising what happened.

"This is why... I guess I get better so quickly because of my mind taking the pain... No escaping the truth now..." Zeph thinks, the pain is still in his head. "You're still going to keep the pain from my heart, though? Thanks." Zeph thinks, not really knowing what he's thanking.

Zeph gets up and starts to walk forward, remembering the name of the creatures he's been fighting- "the Unversed"... Zeph cannot remember anything about the creatures save what he learned whilst fighting them, but there's no way for him to learn anything now. With the previous vision still burning in his mind, Zeph walks out onto the battleground where the Keyblade war was fought all that time ago...

Zeph reaches the tear completely unaccosted and instantly thinks there must be something wrong. Zeph raises his Keyblade to close the tear and thinks- "Some kind of Key-blade..." What did Ventus mean? Xehanort already has a Keyblade, doesn't he?

The instant the tear is closed, Unversed appear to surround him and the masked boy from the Neverland vision appears.

"You thought you could get rid of me, didn't you? You are a fool, Ventus- it is our destiny to forge the Key-blade!" The boy says.

"T-the Unversed? How? Who are you?" Zeph says.

"You've forgotten already? A pity... The Unversed are creatures spawned from the neg... Who are you? You're not Ventus, so how did your proximity to the tear bring me back?" The boys who Zeph assumes must be Vanitas says.

"I won't tell you until you tell me what the Key-blade is!" Zeph says, a slight pain in his head showing him that Ventus was in a very similar situation just before he split his heart- being held down by Unversed and being confronted by Vanitas.

"You don't even know what the Key-blade is? Well, we've got a long way to go yet... Xye is an ancient symbol used to represent the word 'Key'. All Keyblades like yours and mine were created in its image, it is the ultimate weapon. Xehanort will have it, and it is by Ventus and I fighting that it will be forged! Well, you should do as a replacement- how do you have his heart?" Zeph remembers Master Yen Sid mentioning the X-Blade.

"Whatever this means... I'll play no part in it! FIRE!" Zeph shouts through gritted teeth, creating a fire vortex around himself which destroys all the Unversed.

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"You resist still? No matter! I will crush you so that we can unite!" Vanitas says.

"Never! Ventus was changed forever because of you! I won't let the same thing happen twice!" Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade, ready to fight.

Vanitas charges in straight away, delivering a powerful overhead slash with his Keyblade, Zeph blocks it easily, then attacks with a counter slash.

Vanitas jumps back as soon as Zeph blocks, so avoids Zeph's strike.

"Hrm... You will do just fine, Zephyrus..." Vanitas says.

"How do you know my name?" Zeph shouts at the boy.

"That's right, anger- let your rage turn to the strength! A beacon of unending light for my darkness to combine with!"

"Shut up! Fight if you're going to! I don't care about your X-Blade! If it has to be forged, I'll just destroy you both!"

With a giggle barely audible under his mask, Vanitas jumps up, then fazes into the ground. Zeph, unsure of what to do, does a diving roll in an attempt to dodge the attack. Vanitas comes out of the ground directly beneath Zeph, causing a shower of fireballs and also hitting Zeph with a spinning uppercut.

Zeph is sent rolling across the flat of the wasteland but the hit, and is heavily damaged.

"You can do better than that!" Vanitas taunts.

Zeph pulls himself up, taking hold of his Wayfinder.

"Everyone, please, lend me as much of your strength as you can..." Zeph thinks to his Wayfinder. Nothing.

"Not going to work- this has to be _you_ fighting _me._ " Vanitas says.

With a grimace, Zeph casts a cure spell and runs at Vanitas, attacking with a flurry of strikes. The first few stagger Vanitas back, but then, in an eerie manner, he simply stops moving.

"Too slow!" Vanitas says, appearing just behind Zeph and attacking with a powerful, ice cold slam which causes ice to spear up from the ground into Zeph.

Zeph jumps back, managing to stay on his feet, and again, runs in, and hits with all his might.

Vanitas blocks the strike, and their Keyblades lock together in a deadly clash.

With only one usable arm, Zeph quickly starts to get pushed back. His right arm gets pushed so close to his body, that it presses into his broken left, Zeph notices a lack of pain.

With a slight smile, Zeph shrugs his arm out of its sling and pushes against Vanitas's Keyblade with his full strength. Shocked by this surge in strength, Vanitas is easily overpowered, and Zeph is able to grab hold of Vanitas's Keyblade, and strike a few times using both weapons together.

It is only a momentary advantage, and Vanitas jumps back, re-summoning his Keyblade.

Vanitas shoots a slow moving fireball which is imbued with darkness at Zeph before jumping into the air, and lunging forward with the power of darkness. Zeph manages to block Vanitas's surging dash, but as the fireball hits, it splits into many smaller ones, which Zeph can't block.

Gritting his teeth, Zeph jumps, up and tries to fly. The fairy dust has had a lasting effect on him, and although he can't fly, Zeph can glide through the air. Zeph uses this new technique to space himself a little ways apart from Vanitas.

"Hmph, you're weak and a coward, I see." Vanitas taunts again.

"I... Might be weak, but-"

"Friends, blah blah- I get it. They're not here for you now. I even found a way to stop your little trinket working. Face it! You're insignificant."

"You... You could never understand. I don't need my Wayfinder to keep my friends. I might not be strong on my own, or when fighting for myself. But this isn't about me! It's about them... For that reason I have to fight, and I have to win." Zeph says, feeling a power rising inside him. In his mind, he can hear the voices of all of his friends encouraging him. "I won't _ever_ be alone! My friends are always with me! They are my source of strength, and now I'm going to kill you once and for all!"

Zeph charges in and delivers a masterful combo- his broken arm wasn't a hindrance- it was a learning experience. Zeph switches between a one and two handed grip on his Keyblade, and Vanitas cannot hope to block the flurry of attack. Again, the masked boy pauses.

"Pathetic!"

"I don't think so!" Zeph says, predicting what will happen, and sliding around Vanitas, continuing his attack. After another couple of hits, Vanitas stops again.

"Too slow!"

"Again?"

"Pathetic!"

"Nope!"

"Suffer!"

"Not happening!"

The two repeatedly slide around behind one another, doing their best to strike the other. Eventually, Zeph is able to get a meaningful hit in on Vanitas.

Zeph's sudden increase in power, clearly shocks Vanitas, who can't seem to fight back effectively.

Then, as if from nowhere, a voice speaks.

"Vanitas! You are needed here! Stop fighting that boy. Remember your orders!" The voice says. It is that of an old man- could it be? Was that Xehanort?

"Looks like you got off easy this time, but it isn't going to be so long until we next meet. Then we will fight for real." Vanitas says, backing away from Zeph, and becoming enveloped in darkness.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Zeph shouts after Vanitas, but the masked boy has already disappeared.

Zeph throws out his Keyblade glider and quickly returns to the Lanes Between, heading in the direction of the Mysterious tower, where he will report his progress.

 **Chapter 18: Calm Before the Storm**

watch?v=_u0PZJQqUXE &ab_channel=Everglow

When Zeph arrives back at the Mysterious Tower, he quickly goes through the door and runs up the stairs.

Master Yen Sid is sitting in his chair looking solemn.

"Master? What happened?" Zeph asks.

The old wizard sighs. "Events have taken a bad turn, Zephyrus. I congratulate you on completing your mission, however, there is no time to celebrate..."

"Oh?"

"Through the stars, I watched your visit to the Keyblade Graveyard- if the masked boy Vanitas has returned, it cannot bode well... I don't think I ever told you about the X-Blade in detail?"

"You said we don't know much about it..."

"Hrm... Well, one of the conditions for the X-Blade being created is when a light and darkness of equal power clash. Vanitas was created for this reason- he is the darkness from Ventus's heart manifested into a physical form. A long time ago, Ventus, Terra and Aqua went to the Keyblade Graveyard and fought Xehanort and Vanitas there. Ventus did have to fight Vanitas, and the X-Blade was almost completed. By destroying both his and Vanitas's heart, Ventus was able to destroy the X-Blade. However, due to tears' link to darkness, if Ventus's heart were in close proximity to one of them for long enough, Vanitas could reform."

"So when I went through closing all the tears, the Heartless weren't defending them as such, but just making me have to stay close to one for as long as possible?"

"I fear that may be so... This, however, is not our only issue... I sent Sora and Riku into the sleeping worlds for their mark of mastery exam, but Sora's heart has somehow fallen into darkness... Riku has taken the plunge to try to save him, but I fear we may lose them both... Xehanort has truly outsmarted us this time..."

"What about Lezalit?"

"Your friend is on his way now, once Sora is awake again, him and Riku will go with you two to Castle Oblivion. That appears to be where Xehanort has gone."

"Castle... Oblivion...?" Zeph asks, and suddenly a piercing agony stabs into his head.

The vision shows Aqua holding her master's Keyblade- she is in a bright building, but through the windows, Zeph can see that this world has fallen into darkness.

"Aqua, should anything happen to me, use my Keyblade to seal this world from the others..." Zeph can hear Aqua's memories.

She is standing behind the central throne in the main room, and a keyhole appears. Aqua uses her master's Keyblade on the keyhole, and the castle changes from a white, bright, pleasant one to an awe-inspiring castle with strange shapes all over it.

Zeph notices that Aqua his been carrying Ventus this whole time, but the vision cuts out before Zeph can see where she put him. The distorted vision plays again, now it has sound coming from everything except Zeph. The Heartless appear around them to attack, and Zeph's friend calls his name as if he could have helped her. The world "Keyblade" echos through Zeph's head- surely he couldn't have used to back then? Was this his fault?

Again, beset by sorrow, Zeph feels his consciousness returning to him...

"How is he?" Zeph hears a voice asking from another room. He opens his eyes and looks around, he is on a bed in a small room at the top of the tower.

"His heart contains memories so dark and painful to him that his mind has to take the recollection into itself, causing him an intense headache. I do not know why this causes him to collapse, or why he sees the memories of others, but it feels like that fact has a meaning..." Yen Sid replies.

"Could we at least get to see him? What if he's recovered?" A different voice says- he recognises this one as Sora's.

"Sora, Zeph must have something pretty major going on in his head- meeting new people in the aftermath of that could make it worse..." A third voice- Riku's says.

"No, Sora may be right, I feel Zeph's energy returning to him." Yen Sid says.

Zeph decides to wait in his bed so that he doesn't shock anybody.

After a short wait, Zeph hears the door open and Laz walks in.

"Hey there buddy- good job with those tears, but you don't have time to take a nap yet..." He says.

"Hi Laz... I didn't mean it, no idea why this happens to me, it just does..."

"No problem! Hey, your arm- what happened?"

"It's better now, I just didn't have time to take the sling off. I'll tell you about it later, right now, I have some new people to meet, don't I? Just before we go- how long was I asleep for?"

"You were only asleep for a couple of days! Anyway- come on then, little guy!" Laz says. Zeph is worried- Laz has never been this jolly before- when serious people are jolly, that must mean something is wrong...

watch?v=S5LVNFeJhbc&ab_channel=Everglow

Zeph follows Laz into the main room.

"Hello everyone! Sorry if I shocked you with that!" Zeph says cheerfully.

"Hey, it's not like these two were having sleeps of their own for a while..." A young man with red hair says from across the room.

"Lea! Shush about that!" Sora says. "Hi Zeph! It's great to meet you! I'm Sora!" He greets, putting his hands behind his head and beaming at Zeph.

"Hello Zeph- my name is Riku. I'm sorry Sora can be a bit over enthusiastic at times, but hey, that's why we like him!"

"Riku!" Sora complains.

"Gawrsh, it's great to meet another Keyblade wielder- I'm Goofy!"

"I'm Donald! The best mage in the kingdom!"

"Name's Lea, got it memorised?"

"It's so great to meet all of you! I'm Zephyrus- call me Zeph!"

Everyone laughs, happy to have finally met the newest addition to their team.

"Now, I am sure you are all glad to see our new friend, however, there is still work to be done. You all know your mission." Master Yen Sid says after the jollyness starts to recede.

"Can't Lea come along, too? He needs to learn as well!" Sora says.

"No, I cannot risk all of you- Lea will stay here training, and if he's needed, I will send him over to you."

"Okay then! Are we ready to go everyone?" Sora asks- Zeph is amazed by how quickly Sora can change his mind. Everyone agrees.

"Bring back Ventus for us..." Yen Sid says to Zeph as they leave.

Sora, Riku and Laz use Sora's Gummi ship, but Zeph volunteers to use his Keyblade glider instead so that the ship isn't overfilled.

Just before he sets off, he takes a hold of his Wayfinder.

"I'm nearly there, Ven- just give me a little longer."

And with that, Zeph leaves the world, too, heading off towards the End of the World. This is the only place which can be used to access Castle Oblivion given its cut-off state. Zeph gets a feeling that something terrible is about to happen, and wishes he could see the future rather than the past...

 **Chapter 13: Destiny's Union**

watch?v=tcwgdGPAl5o &ab_channel=Everglow

After a short trip, Zeph and all of his friends arrive at the place that links to their destination- the End of the World.

"Okay everyone, I've been here before, so I say we all follow me!" Sora says.

"Okay Sora- just be careful- there might be four of us, but we don't know what to expect." Riku says.

The four of them head off through the void. As they walk, Zeph looks around him. As far as the eye can see, there is virtually nothing. The ground they are walking along seems to be solid water, not ice- solid water.

"Whatever this place is, I don't like it..." Zeph thinks.

"So, anybody fancy playing some I-Spy?" Zeph jokes.

"Sure! I spy with my little eye... something beginning with... Umm... This isn't going to work, is it?" Sora says.

"You'd better have been joking there, Sora..." Laz says.

"Of course I was! Hey! Stop looking at me like that!"

They all laugh a little, still walking along towards their ultimate destination.

Zeph notices a distinct lack of Heartless given that they're in what is essentially the Realms of Darkness. They continue to walk forwards, and talk amongst themselves.

"I don't think it's too much further now..." Sora says after an hour or so more walking.

"Let's hope not... We could do with a ground plan as to what to do when we arrive... Riku, you're the Keyblade master here, you tell us what's best." Laz says.

"Okay, from the sounds of it, Xehanort will most likely be in the castle with Vanitas. I think it would be best if Sora and I go in first, that way we can keep Zeph from having to fight Vanitas. The two of you should stay outside in case Heartless attack to flank us. Seem reasonable?" Riku says.

"Yeah, but what should we do if I do have to fight Vanitas?" Zeph asks.

"You kill him. There's a good chance that the little bit of Ventus's heart in you doesn't create a completely equal amount of light to Vanitas's darkness, so if you can just destroy him before he has a chance to try to create the X-Blade, then _hopefully_ we should be okay. But if Vanitas and Xehanort are outside, you call us with your Wayfinders straight away, and Laz, you keep Vanitas busy for as long as possible."

"This... Really doesn't seem like it's going to be easy..." Zeph says.

"Don't be like that! C'mon! You've never let yourself be beaten before, why start now?" Sora encourages.

"Sora is right, we need to be optimistic- if we go in thinking without hope, then we'll just give up early." Laz says.

They all continue to walk for a bit longer, and the ground changes from being the solid water to being a soil path with lush green fields to either side of it.

"This... Is about as far as I can remember, but I think it's along this way." Sora says.

"I've been here before, but I can't put a finger on the way anymore either..." Riku says.

Zeph stops and closes his eyes, opening his heart.

"Are you okay?" Laz asks.

"It's this way..." Zeph says and starts to walk off to the right, down a turn in the path.

Sora, Riku and Laz rush after Zeph, who has started to walk very quickly, as if possessed by some force.

"Zeph! Slow down!" Sora shouts after him, but Zeph's ears are closed to all around him.

With that familiar pain, Zeph feels his eye's vision being replaced by that of his mind...

Zeph sees Ventus being attacked by his master- Eraqus was his name.

Suddenly, Terra appears.

"Master! What's gotten into you?"

"Terra! Has the darkness taken you, too?" Eraqus says.

Terra kicks Ventus through a portal, and Eraqus summons his Keyblade. Suddenly a black aura appears around Terra, and Eraqus's eyes light up with sorrow.

The two fight, and eventually Terra wins. Eraqus realises that his vision had been clouded.

"What have I done? My heart is darkness..." He says, but is interrupted by something behind him, and falls over before fading away into light. It was true- Terra did play a part in his own master's death...

Next, the vision moves on to show Terra standing atop a huge rock spire with Xehanort.

"Xehanort... Was my master... No... My _father_ not enough for you? _LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!_ " Terra shouts, with that same darkness surging all around him.

Xehanort's only response is a grimace which seems almost proud.

Next, the vision shows Ventus standing on one of the glass murals with Vanitas. Vanitas is holding a huge, very extravagant Keyblade, which Zeph assumes must be the X-Blade. Ven fights against Vanitas, and eventually wins, but the two seemed to be becoming closer and closer to being one entity. Vanitas drops the X-Blade and cannot reach it again, it shatters. With a smile, Ventus watches his own Keyblade, then his body do the same thing... That must have been what happened when Ventus split his heart...

The vision next shows Aqua in a white room with glowing chains all over the walls. Ventus is sat on a seat in the middle of the room, asleep.

"We'll be back to wake you up before you know it..." Aqua says, as she leaves the room.

The vision moves on to show her confronting Terra in Radiant Garden, but he has white hair and yellow eyes- something is wrong. Terra attacks Aqua using Xehanort's Keyblade. Aqua eventually defeats him, but Xehanort uses his Keyblade to try to split Terra's heart fully away from his body. This creates a portal to the realms of darkness, which Aqua jumps into. She manages to catch Terra and save him, but cannot escape in time herself.

"I'm sorry Ven, looks like we won't be there as soon as I thought..." She thinks.

The vision goes back to Ventus sitting in his chair.

"A mystery which none can solve... None, Aqua, except you..." Zeph hears Eraqus saying.

The vision starts to clear, but Zeph can see a very faded image of Aqua with her two friends, giving them their Wayfinders for the first time.

"An unbreakable connection!" That's what she said... An idea as to how to solve the "Unsolvable mystery" pops into Zeph's aching head...

"Zeph! Zeph? ZEPH? CAN YOU HEAR US?" The other three Keyblade wielders are trying to snap Zeph out of his vision.

"Don't you remember the plan? You let me and Sora go first..." Riku says.

"I... I'm sorry, I just had another vision whilst I was walking..." Zeph says.

"Don't worry about it, it isn't your fault, just lucky you didn't walk much further..."

Zeph leans on Laz in order to try to get his strength to return. Once they reach the entrance, and Sora and Riku both enter Castle Oblivion...

The doors slams shut behind them, and so Laz and Zeph turn around and make sure no Heartless are attacking.

"Zeph... I have a bad feeling about this... I don't just mean bad- I mean terrible..." Laz says.

"I... Know what you mean- something definitely doesn't seem right..."

Suddenly darkness surges towards Laz and Zeph. It stops a short way in front of them, then takes the form of Vanitas and a man with white hair and yellow eyes.

"You are here at last... Good... My name is Xehanort, and it looks like my predictions were perfect..." The old man says.

"Xehanort! You leave us alone!" Laz says.

Xehanort laughs, summoning his Keyblade. Laz pushes Zeph back and runs in to attack. Zeph tries to follow, but a wall of darkness blocks him from reaching his friend, and Vanitas steps out.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you through- master Xehanort has important business with your friend." Vanitas says.

watch?v=rD4P2srV7-Q

"Vanitas... Let me past..." Zeph says in an angered tone.

"Never!"

"Fine then..." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade. "I'll just kill you here and now! _Begone!_ "

Zeph charges at Vanitas and strikes down hard, before dodging back, throwing his Keyblade, jumping at Vanitas and vaulting over his masked head.

"You're weak... What was that even supposed to be?" Vanitas says.

"It was supposed to be for my friend!" Zeph says, taking to opportunity to try to reach Laz, but cannot get through the dark barrier.

"It's always about friends, for all of you... It's really starting to annoy me."

"Yeah, it would, wouldn't it- must suck if NOBODY would want to be your friend ever! Now, are you just going to stand there and complain about being alone, or are you going to fight?" Zeph says, putting his armour on.

"If you're in such a rush to die, then so be it." Vanitas says. He jumps up into the air and disappears. Zeph whirls around and blocks the attack, but Vanitas has already hit him from behind before Zeph realises Vanitas had teleported a second time.

"See what I mean? I don't _need_ friends, because darkness gives me the strength I need to beat all of you alone!"

Zeph ignores Vanitas, and tries to throw his Keyblade through the darkness at Xehanort, who is fighting Laz. Zeph's Keyblade clatters off of the dark wall and falls to the ground, disappearing. Zeph tries to re summon it, but some force is stopping him from doing so.

"Ha! You're even more stupid than you look!" Vanitas says, charging in himself to attack again. As Zeph watches Vanitas running at him, the word "reflect" flashes through his mind.

"Hah!" Vanitas swings his Keyblade to strike.

"Reflect!" Zeph casts a magical barrier around him, which Vanitas strikes hard. The Hexagons of the barrier shake, but do not shatter.

"You think that will help you?" Vanitas says, striking the barrier over and over again. Each time he hits the barrier, the sound of the strike echos more and more loudly into Zeph's head until the sound is almost unbearable and Zeph's mental energy is almost spent. Vanitas jumps up into the air, before bringing his Keyblade down on the barrier with devastating force- it shatters, and Zeph only just manages to dodge out of the way in time.

"You aren't really a Keyblade wielder, are you? Your Keyblade never felt real. You're just some fake!" Vanitas taunts.

As Vanitas brings down his next slash, Zeph grabs a hold of Vanitas's Keyblade with his armoured hand.

"You call me a joke? Say I'm not gifted... At least I'm a _real_ person! You're just some darkness that a mad old man extracted from a weak Keyblade apprentice! You say I'm a joke, but if I'm a joke, at least I'd be one that could make somebody laugh..." Zeph says, before resummoning Vanitas's Keyblade into his own hands. "Maybe you should have remembered something about the Keyblade... It doesn't care who its wielder is, so long as they're strong enough!" Zeph says, before attacking Vanitas once again.

"You fool Vanitas!" Xehanort shouts through the barrier. "Come back here!"

"Master, you said you needed some time, didn't you?"

A huge chills passes down Zeph's spine as he realises what is about to happen. He takes his armour off to reduce his mass.

The dark barrier recedes, and Zeph runs as fast as he can.

"Laz!" He shouts reaching his arm forwards. Xehanort lifts Laz up by the scruff of his neck and runs him through.

"No!" Zeph shouts, tears welling up in his eyes.

Laz opens his eyes and points an arm at Zeph.

"Zeph... I'm sorry..." He says before Xehanort drops him onto the floor.

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Zeph reaches his friend before it's too late to say goodbye, and props the wounded Keyblade wielder up.

"Laz... Are you okay?" Zeph asks, tears appearing in his eyes- Zeph can see that Laz doesn't have long left to live. Healing magic won't help here, either.

"Yeah... Yeah... I'm... Fine- nothing to worry about anymore, right? I guess I was wrong to think I would be stronger than Xehanort..." Laz says.

"No! Don't say that! I... I'm sorry... is there anything I can do?"

"You could let me say what I want to, please? Thanks... I did say I had a bad feeling about this... Oh well- better me than any of the rest of you... I never did much like being a Keyblade wielder anyways..."

"L-Laz... I'm sorry... I should've been stronger..."

"It isn't your fault Zeph- better me than you. If it has to be this way, then I welcome it. Besides- y... you still have your Wayfinder... R-right?" Laz says weakly, tears starting to appear in the sides of his eyes.

"Right. We'll never be truly apart, so long as we remember each other."

"Yeah... I... think I need a rest now... Goodbye Zeph- thanks for being my friend... Say... Say goodbye to Sora and Riku from me- thank them, too."

"Of course, Laz- thank you, too..."

Laz smiles up at Zeph weakly. "Take care Zeph. G... Goodnight..."

"Goodnight Laz- I'll wake you up when this is all over."

"You promise?"

"I promise..."

"Good to know I can depend on you..." Laz winces. "See you later... then..."

"Goodnight, Laz..." Zeph says as Laz draws his final breath, before going limp, then splitting up into tiny triangles of light.

Zeph stands up, still not facing Xehanort.

"Y...You... Xehanort..." Zeph starts to say in a wavering voice. "I... Won't _EVER_ forgive you!" Turning to face Xehanort, Zeph glares daggers into his enemy.

"Yes, boy! Let the rage build up inside you! Let it turn to darkness!" Xehanort says with a flourish.

"Never..." Zeph whispers under his breath. Summoning his Keyblade into his right hand whilst repeatedly clenching and unclenching his left hand.

"What, boy? Speak up!" Xehanort says, trying to annoy Zeph more.

"Forgive..." Zeph's left hand has a peculiar light inside it, and a windstorm kicks up around Zeph and Xehanort.

"Yes! With darkness you will crush all who oppose you!"

"No... Face the _LIGHT!_ " Zeph screams at Xehanort, tears streaming down his face, as a huge lightning bolt strikes his left hand.

Surprised by what happened, and thinking this was a spell Zeph was casting, Xehanort begins to laugh.

The light from the bolt starts to fade, to reveal Zeph, most certainly still alive, standing holding, in his right hand, his Keyblade, and in his left, Laz's Keyblade.

"Xehanort!" Zeph shouts, rushing in, both Keyblades ready to strike.

Zeph jumps up and attacks with an overhead slash from both Keyblades at the same time.

"What? How could it be? _Two keys?_ " Xehanort blurts out as he blocks Zeph's attack.

"This, Xehanort... This is why you won't ever beat us! Your darkness could never overcome the power of our combined light!" Zeph says, breaking out of the Keyblade lock and attacking with a spinning double uppercut. Xehanort manages to dodge the attack, but Zeph can see that he clearly has the advantage here.

Xehanort shoots a volley of dark projectiles, before attacking with six quick attacks, then 3 heavier ones. Zeph manages to parry the projectiles and dodge the attacks, but only just.

"Is that quite so?" Xehanort says. "Let's see about that..." He starts to build an aura of darkness around him, and Zeph readies himself for a difficult battle.

Xehanort floats a short distance up, then the ground begins to shake beneath Zeph. Huge sections of the floor start to levitate upwards, and turn to face Zeph.

Xehanort points both his arms at Zeph, and the rocks follow their direction, flying in at him. Zeph dodges two of the spires and cuts two more in half before jumping onto the last one and striking Xehanort from above.

Landing with a roll, Zeph turns around again to see that Xehanort has disappeared.

Suddenly a huge demonic hand reaches out of the ground, grabbing Zeph and slamming him into the ground. Xehanort comes back of the floor and walks up to Zeph.

"You friends are stronger than the darkness are they?" Xehanort says, grabbing Zeph by his neck.

Zeph takes a hold of his Wayfinder. "Terra... I know you're still in there, please... Do your best to resist him! You're not Xehanort!". Zeph says to the trinket, but also to the man who is holding him.

Xehanort frowns at Zeph "How do you know that name? What do you know of master Terra?"

"I know that you stole his body! Give it back! Terra! Please, you have to fight back!"

There is a flash in Xehanort's eyes, and he lets out a cry of agony, dropping Zeph and taking a hold of his head, just as Zeph does in the visions.

"N-No! I am Xehanort! N-not you! Why do you still resist?" Xehanort says to himself.

"Give him _back_!" Zeph shouts, rushing in and striking Xehanort with a blinding flurry of attacks. The silver haired man staggers back, he is starting to lose the direction he had before.

"Who... Are you...? Why am I... No! You! Get out of my... Ven! Is that... Argh!" Zeph cannot tell what is going on inside Xehanort, but stands his ground, just in case.

"Z...Zephyrus... You are clever... I admit that, but you still cannot hope to beat me!" Xehanort says, finally overcoming Terra once again.

The fight continues, but Xehanort's power seems to have diminished somewhat, while Zeph's has increased.

"Thank you, Terra- I'll do my best." Zeph whispers- Terra managed to reclaim a tiny portion of his heart with light, and is giving this light to Zeph.

Xehanort builds the dark aura around him again, and attacks savagely, but Zeph manages to parry the attacks, sending a huge wave of darkness created by Xehanort surging back at him. Shocked by being struck by his own element, Xehanort staggers back again, and Zeph throws both his Keyblades, before jumping forwards with a plunging attack.

As soon as he lands, Zeph continues his assault with more powerful attacks.

Suddenly, Zeph feels a huge shaking, and there is a flash of light.

"Time stop!" Xehanort shouts. Zeph finds himself unable to move, as Xehanort opens the dark corridor around himself and escapes along with the prospect of saving Terra.

Once Xehanort has gone, Zeph finds himself able to move again, and he heads over to the doors of Castle Oblivion, opening them up, and trying to stop himself from crying.

"Zeph! What happened out there? We heard a lot of fighting, but for some reason, we couldn't get through the door! Zeph...?" Sora says.

"Xehanort... He..." Zeph starts to say, but trails off.

"Laz is...?" Riku asks.

"Laz is gone... So are Xehanort and Vanitas... They must have predicted what we were going to do..."

"Oh... I'm so sorry, Zeph..." Sora says.

"Don't be- Laz wouldn't have wanted us to sit around here crying- we still have a mission to complete." Zeph says.

"Zeph is right, Sora. We need to help Ven- Laz's sacrifice can't be in vain..." Riku says.

Zeph takes a hold of his Wayfinder and tries to contact Aqua with it.

"V-Ven? Is that you?" Aqua says.

"No... My name is Zephyrus- I'm with Sora and Riku- we're trying to help Ven, but we need to find him..."

"Zephyrus...? Hrm... Okay then, please- help Ven. Don't worry about me, I think I've gotten used to it down here." Aqua was trapped in the Realms of Darkness so long ago she's lost hope.

"Aqua... I'm going to get you out of there... But I have to help Ven first."

"Don't put yourself in danger coming here... I can help you get to Ven, but it's too dangerous for you to be in the Dark Realms..." Aqua says.

Zeph feels a warm light creep out of his Wayfinder into his body, and suddenly he understands how to solve the puzzle and reach Ventus.

Once they reach the entrance to the room, Zeph stops.

"I haven't told you what's going to happen, have I?" Zeph says.

"No..." Sora says. "We're going to wake Ventus up, right?"

"Yeah... But his heart is the only thing holding mine together... if I wake him up, then I'll go to sleep just like he has."

"What?" Sora asks.

"Zeph... In that case, I can't let you through this door." Riku says, standing in Zeph's way.

"Riku..."

"No, we've already lost one today, I don't want to lose another on a whim..."

"Riku... let me past, please." Zeph says, tears starting to appear in his eyes again.

"Are you sure there's no there's way?" Sora asks.

"Zeph, you're a very skilled fighter. Even if Ventus is good, too, I'm not prepared to take that risk. You're not coming through here."

"Then... do you leave me no choice?" Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to have to fight my own friends, too..."

"Zeph!" Sora says.

"Why? Why do you do this, Zeph? I just want to keep you safe, but you still do this?" Riku says, standing aside. "This is a terrible idea, but I won't fight you if it really will come down to that."

Sora unleashes a huge sigh of relief as Riku says this.

"Thank you, Riku, Sora." Zeph says, nodding to the two of them and walking through the door.

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The three emerge into a white room with a throne in the middle. Sure enough, Ventus is sitting there, asleep.

"Ven... I'm finally here. Time to wake up, yeah?" Zeph says.

"Zeph, does it really have to be this way?" Sora asks.

"I... I think so. I'm so sorry you two. Thanks so much for everything. I'll do my best to wake up as soon as I can."

"Zeph... Sorry I stopped you out there... I see now. You'll manage to wake yourself up. If there's anybody I believe in, it's you." Riku says, patting Zeph on the back.

"Well, if this means goodbye for now, then I guess I'll just have to cope with that... Goodbye, Zeph. You'll always be our friend, remember that..."

"Thank you both so much... I'll wake up soon, I'm sure." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade and raising it in front of his chest. A tiny beam of light shoots out of it, causing a glowing orb to appear. One also come out of Sora's chest, but Sora is not really affected.

"Goodbye Sora and Riku... I'll... Do my best not to let the darkness take me. You take good care of yourselves and of Ven... I... Goodnight, both of you..." Zeph says, tears starting to roll down his face once again.

"Goodnight, Zeph- we'll make sure both of you are okay. I'll try to help you wake up in whatever way I can." Riku says.

"Zeph... G...Goodnight..." Sora manages to speak through his tears.

Zeph lightly pushes the orb which was floating in front of him into Ventus, and suddenly feels incredibly tired. As his eyes close, he hears Ventus say one word:

"Thanks..."

With that, Zeph fell back to sleep as he had before, and the broken boy who gave his heart to save a friend, finally, once again, stirred.

watch?v=UigzN-4JR14&ab_channel=kabstofly

 **End of Part 1. Thanks for reading!**

 **Part 2 Sneak Preview:**

watch?v=pfjEKGKz_zg &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

"Has he woken up yet?"

"No, but he is on the right path."

"How do you know?"

"I can sense his heart is coming back together."

"Oh, but you don't want to know what happened out there, you want to know what happened in the Land of Darkness, don't you? How do I know what happened? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? I'm sure you'll work it out eventually."

"The story starts the moment Zeph's eyes close after returning Ven's heart. Zeph's slumber takes him to the Realms of Darkness. Here is where he can try to save himself, but he has no hope of doing so alone. Fortunately for him, there was somebody there to help him out the whole time..."

 **Zeph will return soon enough...**


	2. Part 2

**The Faded Gale Part 2**

 **Prelude: A Dark Mystery**

watch?v=pfjEKGKz_zg &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

"Has he woken up yet?"

"No, but he is on the right path."

"How do you know?"

"I can sense his heart is coming back together."

"Oh, but you don't want to know what happened out there, you want to know what happened in the Land of Darkness, don't you? How do I know what happened? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? I'm sure you'll work it out eventually."

"The story starts the moment Zeph's eyes close after returning Ven's heart. Zeph's slumber takes him to the Realms of Darkness. Here is where he can try to save himself, but he has no hope of doing so alone. Fortunately for him, there was somebody there to help him out the whole time..."

Your time... Is now...

 **Introduction: A Road To The Beginning**

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"Thanks..." This word echoes through Zeph's mind infinitely as he falls...

"Zephyrus... Is it...? Yes it must be my name... But who am I? Who are they? What is all this?" As his heart comes apart once again, Zeph's memories start to escape him.

He can see some form of light, is he dreaming?

"Hey! Are you okay?" A female voice calls out, Zeph can recognise it, but who was it again?

"Wake up! Please! It isn't safe here! We need to move!" The woman continues to shout, and Zeph feels something brush against him. "Where did you get this? No... You can't be... You looked different, didn't you? Ven...?"

"V...Ventus... Is... Safe..." A voice speaks, it sounds very close to Zeph...

"You're awake! Hello?" Zeph realises that he must be talking in his sleep. "Please! Open your eyes! You're not Ventus... Then who are you...? You have a Wayfinder, so... Oh! What was his name again... Z... Zora... No... No.. No! What was it? It began with a 'Z', I'm sure! Umm... Oh! Zeph... Please, wake up..." At the mention of his name, Zeph starts to feel something pulling at him. Something is touching his face, trying to wake him up. This isn't a dream... No, this is real... Zeph opens his eyes...

"You are awake!" The person who was trying to wake Zeph is a young woman with blue hair and blue eyes. Zeph feels like he knows her name, but cannot quite remember it.

"Who... Were you again...?"  
"I've not been happy for years! Thanks so much, Zeph!" She says, not hearing his question...

"A...Aqua- what's your name? Who are you...?" Zeph doesn't consciously know anything about the person he is with, but calls her by her name anyway.

"You helped Ven, right? Surely you know who I am..."

"I.. Do... I think, but everything is so hazy- what's your name?"

"I'm Aqua, Ventus's friend... Do you know why you're here? I think your heart has taken a serious beating... You do know about me... Remember what you just said- 'Aqua... What's your name?'"

"I... Think..." Zeph starts to say, but forgets what he was going to say mid-sentence.

"It's going to be a long day, isn't it...?"

"I thought... Days always were the same length..."  
"A _very_ long day... Follow me, Zeph. Stay close."

 **Chapter 1: The Heart's Treasure**

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"Zeph... Can you remember anything?" Aqua asks once they finally stop on a beach.

"I'm not sure... I don't think so... You're Aqua, and I saved Ventus, right?"

"I know I'm Aqua, but I can only take your word on saving Ventus... Here, maybe this will help jog your memory." She summons a strangely large key into her hand. "Do you remember this? You have one of your own..."

"That's a key... A really big key, isn't it?"

"It's more than that, Zeph. Come on, I know you can do this!" Aqua's eyes are starting to fill up with tears. "Zeph, I need you to remember! You're my only hope... Please, I know you have it in you..."

"I'm so sorry Aqua... I'm not a Keyblade wielder any more... I'm just some normal person who is stranded in the Realms of Darkness. My mission is complete- I saved Ventus, and said goodbye to Sora and Riku... I just wish I could've saved..." Zeph feels a wave of sorrow flow ever him. He cannot register what he's saying properly.

"That's right, Zeph! Let your memories come back. Don't force them, just let them come naturally." Aqua encourages. "What's wrong?"

"I... I'm not sure. Something happened just before I saved Ventus..." Zeph says, weakly.

"Hey, this might help." Aqua says, and she taps Zeph's forehead with a tiny flash of light.

"What was that...? Aqua? Where am I?" Zeph says, starting to panic.

"There we go, Zeph try to stay calm. You're safe here with me."

"Wait, but what about Ven, Sora and Riku?"

"They'll be fine, you just need to keep calm. I cast a spell on you to help you remember everything. I think it's coming back too quickly, so just try to rest until it all makes sense. I just want a moment alone." Aqua says, standing up and walking away. Zeph tries to relax on the sand, and within moments, sleep washes over him.

Zeph wakes up with a slight start.

"Hey, what's up?" Aqua asks.

"Y...Yeah... That's the first calm sleep I've had since as long as I can remember. I didn't even notice I'd fallen asleep."

"Really? I've not been able to sleep since I came here, either..."

"What?"

"How long has it been, Zeph? It only feels like a few days to me..."

"Well... Sora is 15 now, I think... Just like I am."

"Really? That's ten years, then... Zeph- where are you from?"

"Twilight Town, I think. I can't remember anything from before my heart was torn apart, though..."

"Funny... Ventus must be more grown up than I am now... Unless he didn't grow either..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, time passes very slowly in the Realms of Darkness. You've probably already been here a week."

"Oh, okay. We should probably get a move on, then."

"What do you mean?"

"Aqua... Don't you remember what I said? I've saved Ventus, you're next."

"How?"

"I'm... Not sure, but if I can wake up, then you can get out of here."

"Wake...Up? Zeph! You're not trapped here like I was? That gives us a chance!"

"My heart... Something broke it to pieces, but it's too close to intact for me to take refuge in somebody else's heart like Ventus did. That's why I'm here."

"That means that we _can_ get out!"

"Sure does. However, I'm not leaving until you have a rest. If you haven't slept in ten years, then I think you could probably use a nap."

"Now you mention it, I am really quite tired." Aqua says.

"Go on, you have a rest, I'll sit here and make sure no Heartless get us."

"H...Heartless? Are they?"

"Go to sleep, I'll explain what I can later."

"Okay then..." Aqua says, as she lies down and gets some rest.

Zeph takes a hold of his Wayfinder and tries to contact his friends. He cannot reach anybody, but he hears a faint whispering.

"Zeph... I believe in you. Wake up..." It says, the voice is very quiet, but Zeph can just about make out to be that of Lezalit.

"Laz..." Zeph mutters, tears starting to appear in his eyes. "I'll make sure that your Keyblade is put to rest..." Zeph lets go of his Wafinder and continues to sit there, waiting for his companion to wake back up.

"Ugh... Zeph, I'm awake..." Aqua quietly says.

"Good... Morning? Not really a morning, but okay. Come on then, let's go." Zeph says, getting up, and not looking at Aqua once.

"Hey... I'm sorry, Zeph. This is all my fault."

"Don't be. You couldn't have know what was going to happen. This is all Xehanort's doing."

"Terra..."

"He's still in there..."

"What?"

"There's still hope for Terra, but we need to get out of here, first. If Ventus sees Xehanort in Terra's body, who knows what he'll do."

Aqua nods, and pats Zeph's shoulder.

"We can do this, Zeph... I know we can." She says.

Zeph, still stinging from recent events, doesn't respond and walks on. Aqua hurries to keep up, not sure why Zeph is so uncooperative.

 **Chapter 2: A Descent Into Darkness**

watch?v=tJCOrvDL-gY &ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Aqua and Zeph have been walking along for some time.

"Zeph..." Aqua tries to speak.

"Yeah? Sorry about earlier it's just..." He trails off.

"No problem. You mentioned Heartless, what are they?"

"They're the creatures of darkness which have been attacking you the whole time since you've been here."

"Wait, so what happened to the Unversed?"

"They were created when Vanitas was split apart from Ventus. When the two came back together, the Unversed simply disappeared. So in some twisted and terrible manner... Aqua- your mission was completed."

"I... Just wish..."

"Everybody regrets what happened back then, but it can't be changed. We can do our best to fix the hurt the Xehanort did, but it can't be undone."

"What happened, then, after all that?"

"I'll show you..." Zeph says, taking a hold of Aqua's hand, and transferring all of his visions into her mind, too.

"You remember... All of that?" Aqua says, tears starting to appear in her eyes again

"Don't know how... Aqua... I'm sorry. We're going to get out of here, save Terra and avenge your master. I promise, his sacrifice won't have been in vain."

"He... Terra..." Aqua says, slowing down.

Zeph takes a hold of Aqua and sits her down carefully.

"Zeph... Why? Why did this all have to happen? Terra, why couldn't you hold back the darkness in our exam?"

"That darkness... It wasn't Terra. Xehanort set all of this up, right from start to finish. All of us, everyone is being played like a game. Something doesn't go exactly as he hoped? He just accommodates that in his plan, even if it means traveling back in time without a body."

"Then what do we-"

"Aqua! Heartless!" Zeph interrupts her, and huge pureblood Heartless appear all around the two. He summons his Keyblade and readies himself to fight, but Aqua only bends over further and cries even more.

"Leave us alone!" Zeph shouts and the Heartless. They are all very similar to the giant one he fought in Twilight Town right at the beginning of his journey, except they are much larger.

Zeph runs and jumps forward, dealing an intense overhead slash to one of the creature's heads, cleaving it in two. Before the beast falls, Zeph jumps from its shoulder and glides over to the next one, which throws a punch at him. Zeph whirls around the dark fist, and stabs his Keyblade into it, swinging himself up onto the Heartless's arm. Running as fast as he can, Zeph manages to reach the head before he is thrown off. He jumps, spinning around, slicing this Heartless's head, and also throwing his Keyblade at the third one. Both of them fade back away, and Zeph lands next to Aqua, offering a hand.

"Come on, Aqua, you can't give up yet." He says.

The Keyblade master takes a hold of his hand, and pulls herself upright, stopping herself from crying more.

"Let's go, come on."

Aqua makes little effort to start walking, but doesn't let go of Zeph's hand, so he drags her along for a bit.

"I'm sorry Zeph... Just leave me here, I'll only slow you down."

"Don't say that! Wherever we go, we go there together, okay? If you stay, I stay. Nobody deserves to be stranded here alone..." Zeph saying this seems to perk Aqua up a bit. "Come on, I know you can do this."

"Right... Let's go." Aqua says, wiping the tears from her face, and setting off.

"You can... Let go, now..."

"Oh... Sorry..." Aqua was still holding Zeph's hand.

The two laugh a little as they walk- a moment's respite from the onslaught they are about to go through...

watch?v=CaVxOehOKF4&ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Zeph and Aqua have been walking along for hours, and the same path continues to stretch on to the dark horizon. Zeph can't understand, but something feels wrong.

"Zeph? What is it?"

"I... Just feel so tired, it's like... I'm not sure."

"The darkness here is getting to you. You must have overworked yourself fighting those Heartless back there- here in the Dark Realms, you'll be much weaker, no matter who you are."

"That's why Riku had to... Yeah- I remember now."

"What did Riku do?"

"Riku had to unleash the darkness in his heart..."

"What? When?"

"A while back- he can control it now, and walks to Road to Dawn. Xehanort tried to take him, too, but his heart is too resistant to darkness now."

"He resists it?"

"Yeah."

"That means..."

"Terra can, too. He's clearly learning."

"It must be difficult, given he has nothing..."

"That's not true, Aqua- he has you and Ven. You do still believe in him, right?"

Aqua is clearly taken aback by this question.

"Aqua?"

"I'm sorry, Zeph... Terra killed the man I saw as my father, or at least assisted in his death. I can never truly believe in him any more."

"That's... I understand... Hey- don't cry. I'm here for you, Aqua- there's still hope."

The two continue to walk for some time, and eventually come to a round platform, Zeph reaches the centre, then collapses.

"Zeph! What's wrong?"

"Oh my... I've never been this tired or hungry before in my life!" He says, sitting up and smiling at his friend.

"Don't just collapse like that! You scared me!"

"Aqua... Don't move... A muscle..."

A huge blue and grey Heartless flies overhead, releasing a sound which makes Zeph feel cold to the bone. It doesn't seem to notice them.

"It's gone... Phew, that was close."

"Zeph... We can't rest here- it just isn't safe. That beach is the only place I could find whether the Heartless don't attack..."

"Really? Okay...I can try to keep going..."

"No, you stay there. We can rest until Heartless do actually attack." Aqua says, walking over and sitting down next to Zeph.

"Hey, it might help if you put on your Keyblade armour- that should keep the darkness away from your body." Aqua says.

"Really? What will you do?"

"I threw away my armour and my Keyblade to try to save Terra... Whatever happened to them, I can't seem to use them anymore."

Suddenly, the world flashes around them, and Zeph feels an intense pain flow through his entire body.

"What was that?" Zeph asks.

No response.

"Aqua? What's wrong?" His friend simply sits next to him, still as a statue.

watch?v=3sj2smzErW4&ab_channel=BrawlBRSTMs3

Zeph gets up and looks around himself- something is very wrong. The grey stone ground has changed into a dark blue tarmac road.

"What? Where am I?" He asks.

Suddenly Heartless sprout out of the ground all around him, and Zeph summons his Keyblade to fight them.

The creatures simply stand still.

Zeph tries to move, but finds himself rooted to the spot.

"Greetings, Zephyrus..." A voice says.

"Hello? Who's there?" Zeph asks, he cannot see who is speaking to him.

Suddenly, a Dark Corridor opens in front of him, and a young man with silver hair walks out.

"Xehanort?" Zeph asks, gritting his teeth.

"It doesn't matter who I am- what matters is you."

"What do you mean? Let me go!"

"Oh, but I can't do that... Let's just say you're very important to my plans just as you are now. Who needs a complete heart anyway, right?"

"Whatever you mean, I'll play no part in it!"

"That's what you think- the fact is, no matter what you do in this situation, you're helping me. You either leave yourself broken, asleep forever, or you bring yourself right into my clutches."  
"No! I won't help you!" Zeph says, struggling to get free.

"That's no use- you won't get free. I mean no harm to you right now. I just mean to tell you what to do. If you wish to wake up, then find the fragments of your heart scattered around the worlds like the one you're in now. I can't keep you here any longer, but I hope that's enough information for you. I'm sure I'll see you again soon enough- goodbye, Zephyrus." The young man disappears again, and Zeph feels his ability to move returning to him. The space around him fades back to its usual self.

Zeph looks around again- Heartless have appeared all around.

"Aqua! Heartless!"

"What? Oh, okay!"

Aqua jumps up next to Zeph, and summons master Eraqus's Keyblade.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Everything just... Stopped..."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter- we've got these critters to deal with now!"

Zeph runs in and strikes one of the Heartless- a "neoshadow", which is a powerful pureblood similar to the much weaker "shadow". The creature is clearly damaged by the attack, but not destroyed instantly, it slips down into the ground, and Zeph curses.

"Zeph! Be careful! They're in the ground!"

"Wait for them to come up, only then can we hit them!"

The two Keyblade wielders stand back to back, slowly rotating, waiting for the Heartless to come out of the ground.

Suddenly, every single one of them comes out of the ground at the same time, and they lunge forward.

"Barrier!"

"Reflect!"

Both Aqua and Zeph cast shield spells around them, creating an impenetrable wall, which the heartless career into, being destroyed instantly.

"Nice teamwork!" Zeph says, "Let's keep moving."

After a bit more walking, the path straightens out, and Zeph sees a light at the end of it.

"Aqua, do you see that?"

"What?"

"There's a light over there... I think it's the way out... Wait a moment, it's shrinking! Hurry!" Zeph says, grabbing Aqua's hand, and starting to run as quickly as he can.

"Zeph! Slow down!"

"We need to hurry! This is the only way out! Hah!" Zeph says, throwing out his Keyblade glider ahead of him.

"Aqua!" He shouts, lifting her up, before jumping onto his Keyblade glider. He sits her on the side, and pushes the vehicle to move as quickly as it can.

"Zeph, what are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here!"

Suddenly huge numbers of Heartless appear in their way, Zeph shoots his Keyblade glider's magical arrows at them. Aqua casts spell of her own, and the creatures are quickly dealt with, but the light is shrinking very quickly now.

"I'm about to do something you'll hate me for..."

"What? Woah!"

Zeph jumps off of his Keyblade glider, pushing Aqua into the main cockpit, and with a graceful backflip, kicks the vehicle with its passenger towards the light, sending it shooting off.

"Zeph!" She shouts back at him, trying to control the Keyblade glider, but Zeph wills it to keep burning full power- it would be suicide for Aqua to jump off at that speed.

Landing in a forward roll with his armour on, Zeph continues to run as quickly as he can after Aqua.

"Promise me you'll tell them I'm okay!" He shouts after Aqua, as she disappears.

Now alone, Zeph continues to run towards the end of the platform, where the portal which has now closed was. Before long, he has reached the edge, and looks around, trying to see what to do next.

Suddenly four of the giant flying Heartless appear behind Zeph, blocking his way back.

"That's how it is, huh?" Zeph says. He can't use his Keyblade until he's sure Aqua is safely back in the normal worlds.

The Heartless slowly move towards him, lightning arcing between their claws, and their eyes burning with intense flame. Zeph takes off his helmet, and grits his teeth...

"What now, clever boy? You've saved your girlfriend, but now you need to save yourself." He teases himself, annoyed that he couldn't save Aqua without sacrificing himself. Xehanort must have been right.

"I guess it's certain death versus a small chance I get somewhere..." Zeph says, backing up to the very edge, and spreading his arms out.

The Heartless are almost upon him now, and the nearest on raises an arm. It starts to bring it down, and Zeph lets himself fall over backwards, down, into the unknown blackness...

 **Chapter 3: The Sleeping Worlds**

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"What... Where... Am I?" Zeph wakes up with a pain in his head. He threw himself off of the path in the Realms of Darkness, but where has he ended up?

"Hey! What are you doing there? Is it not really uncomfortable sleeping on the ground?"

"No way! This is..."

"Traverse Town! Yeah!" There is a pink-haired girl standing over him. "You going to just keep lying there?"

"Well, if you say it like that..." Zeph says, flipping upright with a handspring.

"Showoff... My name's Vanille- pleasure to meet you!" She says.

"Hi Vanille- my name's Zephyrus- call me Zeph."

"Did you mean to fall out of the sky like that? Because it was pretty awesome to watch!"

"Fall... out of the sky?"

"Yeah! You kind of just appeared WAAAAAAY up there, then fell down here, landing right on your face, then lay here for a couple of hours- you're not a bad actor!"

"...And you just watched that happen...?"

"Of course! Every good actor deserves and audience! Wait... Do you mean to say that wasn't deliberate?"

"I mean... You could argue it both ways- it's a long story..." Zeph says.

"If I'm in the sleeping worlds, then this is _definitely_ a good start. I should be able to wake up easily here..." He thinks.

"Oh! You wanted to kill yourself?"

"No!"

"Then why did you fall out of the sky onto your face?"

"Okay... I was in a very bad place, and some evil creatures were trying to kill me, so I threw myself off of the top of this plateau... I guess I must have fallen through a portal to Traverse Town..."

"Hey! Vanille! Who's that you're talking to?"

"His name's Zephyrus! Come see! He fell out of the sky!" She calls back.

"That was Sazh- he's my friend. So you threw yourself into the unknown because there was a slightly higher chance you'd survive that?" Vanille says, turning back to Zeph.

"Yep! Well, I think I'm just about okay..."

A man hurries down the staircase Zeph is facing.

"Hello, Zephyrus- my name's Sazh. Vanille and I come from the same place. Why we're here now, I'm not really sure."

"Hi Sazh- great to meet you. You must be here because, for whatever reason, your own world fell into darkness. That's why most people who end up here get here."

"Really? That's disappointing, as much of a hell hole as it was, I quite liked Cocoon..."

"Is there anybody else here with you two?"

"Well, there is... But you don't want to meet that ice queen."

"Vanille! Don't be rude about Lightning!"

"Hey! You know it's true!"

"Yeah... I guess so..."

"Wait, what?" Zeph asks.

"Lighting is... Let's just say... Not a bundle of laughs." Vanille says.

"Sounds like you've got some competition that you want Zeph here to disregard." Sazh teases.

"I feel like I should probably meet Lightning, whether or not she's nice..." Zeph says.

"If you're sure, but you'd be better off without..." Vanille says.

The three walk into a shop building, inside, there is a pink-haired woman with a sword slung through her belt.

"Lightning... We've found somebody." Sazh says.

"Oh," Lightning says, turning around. "Who are you, then?"

"My name's Zephyrus-"

"Why are you here?"

"Well... I kind of just fell out of the sky..."

"What? You expect me to believe that?"

"Lightning! He's telling the truth! I saw it!" Vanille says.

"Okay then... But what are your intentions?"

"It's a long story..."

"Avoiding the question? I think you're one of those monsters."

"Lightning!" Sazh says.

"Monsters? I promise you I'm not a monster... What monsters do you mean?"

"Oh, they all look different, but they seem to have an emblem on them- it's kind of like a few circles, and some lines going down with bat wings... Here- I'll draw it for you."

"How do we know he isn't one of them?"

"For a start, he isn't attacking us. None of them look human and he doesn't have that emblem..." Sazh says.

"Could you all stop arguing, please? I know it doesn't mean much, but I promise I'm not one of them. I'll put my story in a nutshell for you... Basically, my heart was broken- literally, not metaphorically. I need to find the pieces and fix it back together so that I can go back to where I'm originally from. I can help you deal with those monsters, but I need you to trust me." Zeph says.

"That's the emblem." Vanille shows Zeph- it is nothing like the emblem Heartless bear, but Zeph does recognise it from his visions.

"Nightmares... Makes sense if we're in the sleeping worlds..."

"Okay then, Zephyrus- you help us with the monsters, we help you get your heart back. I've noticed something, though... You don't seem to have a weapon, so how are you going to help us?" Lightning says, hostility still strong in her voice.

"I'm a Keyblade wielder..."

"A Keyblade... wielder? What's that?"

"I would show you, but my friend needs my Keyblade right now so that she can get to safety. I have magic, though."

"As much as my mind is telling me not to, I trust you. Maybe being a soldier has made me too cautious... Sorry if I've been a bit aggressive- I'm just a little stressed. Still, though, I'd rather not take the risk of going with you, if you don't mind. Sazh, Vanille, it's your choice whether or not you help him, but I'm not."

"Thank you, Lightning, I don't mind at all. Anyway- I was wondering... Maybe you people would like to leave Traverse Town, too? I think I can help you all reach somewhere you'll be much happier, but it might take some time."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain without saying things I'm not allowed to say, but there's a place called Radiant Garden- I think you'll like it there. I hope I'm not in the way for any of you, but I really do want to try to find my heart, and lock the Keyhole in this place. That way, I can stop the monsters appearing. If you don't want to come with me, then you don't have to. I'll see you all later- take care." Zeph says, leaving the shop.

"I should've listened to Vanille..." He thinks.

"You should've listened to me! Zeph! Wait!" Vanille rushes out after him.

"Oh, hello again, Vanille... I think you're probably right..."

"Well, I want to help you, even if those two don't. What's wrong?"

"I don't know... I just didn't want to be alone, I guess. Thanks for coming along."

"So you said you were in a bad place..."

"It was more of a region called the Realms of Darkness... I got trapped there when my heart was broken apart. I had a friend there- she had been trapped for ten years... I found a way out, and could set her free, but without anybody with you, the darkness really starts to get at you. I don't know how long I was falling for, but it was a while. I've lost a lot recently, and without anybody to help me cope, I just get really unhappy."

"Lost a lot...?"

"My best friend... I..." Zeph trails off, unable to speak about Laz.

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that Zeph, I shouldn't have brought it up... Do you want me to leave you alone for a bit?"

"No, no... If you want to help me, please do. I just might not be as upbeat as usual. Oh well- I can't be much worse than Lightning- right?" Zeph says.

"Nope! What's that?"

Zeph's Wayfinder is glowing.

"This is a way I can connect with my friends... Could I just have a second?"

Zeph takes a hold of the charm and listens.

"Zeph... Good to know you're okay... Thanks so much for helping me and Ven, but you shouldn't have trapped yourself there."

"Aqua... Don't worry about me- I'm fine, even if I'd gone through that portal, I wouldn't have woken up. I'm in Traverse Town now, and I think I'm on the right tracks. Are you finished with my Keyblade yet?"

"Yeah, thanks. Don't put yourself into too much danger- we're all rooting for you. Wake up soon."

"I'll try, see you later."

The trinket stops glowing, fading to a slightly drained version of its normal colour. Zeph put it back away, hoping that nothing goes wrong with it.

"Well, my friend is safe, and she's done with my Keyblade, so we can get going now."

"Good to hear! Could you make me one of those?" Vanille says.

"I... Don't really know how it works or how I got it, so probably not. My friend can make them, though, so maybe we can get one for you once I wake up."

"Wake up? You're awake now, aren't you?"

"Well... I'm awake here... I'm not really awake..."

"What do you mean?"

"When my heart was broken, I fell asleep. I'm not actually here... but I also am at the same time. I don't really understand how it works, but basically there's the me that's asleep, who is somewhere completely different to this me. We're the same person, but this version of me will go back into the actual me when I wake up."

"O...kay... That sort of made sense... a bit- anyway, let's get going."

The two start walking in the direction Zeph feels is right.

"Wait... Vanille- are you going to be safe fighting these things?"

"Sure! I can do magic, and I have this staff. Oh! Could you show me what a Keyblade is?"

"Okay." Zeph summons his Keyblade. "Here it is."

"Woah! That's really cool! It's a big key... What does it do?"

"It hits things... And deals with locks... It can hit things that most weapons can't, too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, there are beings called 'Heartless' and 'Nobodies'- both are near impossible to deal with if you don't have a Keyblade, magic, or a magical weapon."

"So that's why the monsters are so difficult for Lightning to kill! She's been in an especially bad mood recently, given she can't fight the monsters."

"You really don't seem to like her much..."

"It isn't that... Well... It is that, but it isn't _that_..."

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"Sure..."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Maybe."

"Hey! Just tell me!"

"I have, haven't I?"

"Ugh! That's really annoying!"

"Yeah- that's me, annoying."

"I'll go back to my friends if you keep teasing me like this."

"If you want to go back to your friends, feel free- I'm only trying to cheer myself up though. Sorry if I took it too far..."

"No worries."

Zeph and Vanille keep walking along for a bit, before reaching a huge heart-shaped fountain.

"There's your heart!" Vanille jokes.

"Wait... Something's wrong..." Zeph puts an arm protectively in front of Vanille and stops her.

"What is it?" She starts to speak, but is cut off by a flash of light.

A dark corridor opens in front of Zeph.

"I trust you are getting acquainted with your new life?"

"Xehanort!"

"Quite the lady killer you are..." He jokes.

"Now, onto real business. You may have noticed that the locals are speaking about the Nightmares. These creatures are spawned by the darkness coming through the Keyholes in the worlds, but also from your own damaged heart, this is your dream, after all. To stop them terrorising those who live in these worlds, you need only lock the Keyholes, picking up the fragments of your heart as you go. It's that simple, for the likes of you it will be far easier than your previous adventures."

"Why are you helping me?" Zeph asks, hostility strong in his voice.

"Have I not helped you enough already? You still demand more information? How foolish you are..."

"Xehanort, please... How can you have your seven pure lights if I don't wake up?"

"Now you wish to help me? How peculiar... You are right about that, I do need a seventh light- perhaps that is why I am helping you. It will become clear in time."

"You said something about my heart being an easy target... What do you mean?"

"Am I allowed no secrets? No, I will not tell you that- just know this: you are strong enough to save these worlds easily, and you need only do that in order to wake up."

"Whatever is going on here... I'm going to find out what it is, and I'm going to stop you... Also, don't tease me about have friends who are girls... That's just not cool... Only I can tease myself about that..."

"Yes, sir... Now- if my message has been clear enough, I must take my leave once again- I need to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Zeph asks, but Xehanort has already disappeared.

"Zeph! What do you mean 'Something's wrong?'" Vanille is asking. She clearly didn't see Xehanort appearing, either.

"I think... I think it's fine now, just be careful, I sense darkness."

"Okay... I'd like a bit more information..."

"This man just appeared out of thin air and spoke to me. He told me what I need to do, but I know who he is, and he's not on our side."

"Maybe he needs you to do that for him, so that he can carry out his dastardly plan that you'll inevitably put a stop to in the end?"

"Probably... Nightmares! Get ready for a fight!"

Little black and pink dog-like creatures appear around Zeph and Vanille. Pale blue bears appear behind the dogs. All seem hostile.

Zeph and Vanille ready their weapons for a fight.

watch?v=794RoJyXXK8

"Fire!" Vanille shouts, casting a fireball into the fray, while Zeph charges in and attacks from a close range.

Notably, the Nightmares seem to be extremely weak- Zeph is able to destroy the smaller ones with one strike.

"Wow, Zeph! You're pretty good!" Vanille encourages, still using her magic to fight the beasts.

Before long, all of the original hostiles are wiped out, and everything seems to go silent.

"Well fought, you're at least as good as any of us, Zeph!"

"Thanks... I do my best..."

Suddenly two huge Nightmares appear. They both have a monkey-like appearance, but one is floating while the other has legs.

Summoning his Keyblade, Zeph runs forward, jumping at the Nightmare with legs, but before he is able to strike is target, a floating hand sent out by the other hits him aside.

"Zeph!" Vanille shouts, running over.

Zeph lands hard down on his shoulder, but manages to roll off the impact.

"I'm okay. It looks like this could get complicated, so stick together." Zeph says, dragging himself onto his feet.

"Fire!" Vanille shouts, casting a fireball at one of the floating Nightmare's hands.

Zeph does the same, then throws his Keyblade.

The slightly ethereal hand disappears, leaving the Nightmare with only one method of attack.

Suddenly, the creature with legs runs forward and jumps at the two friends, its teeth bared, and claws ready to strike.

"Vanille!" Zeph exclaims, jumping to the side, pushing her along with him.

The Nightmare just misses with its attack, and lands on all-fours, growling at Zeph.

"I'll deal with this one, you try to keep the other busy!" Zeph says, as he rushes forwards, and swings his Keyblade, two handed. The strike staggers Zeph's foe back and he continues to push the advantage, using the follow-through of the slash to spin around, delivering a second, more powerful blow. The Nightmare manages to regain its footing, and fights back with a quick double-punch. Zeph is hit by the attack, but stands his ground, sidestepping the overhead slam follow-up. Zeph attacks with a fast combo on one the creature's legs.

"Zeph! Look out!" Vanille warns.

Zeph jumps onto the hand that has been sent to attack him, then jumps again striking a decisive blow to his enemy's head. The strike cleaves through the creature, and it fades away, Zeph turns his attention to the second.

Vanille casts a volley of spells at the enemy, distracting it whilst Zeph runs in.

"Take _THIS_!" Zeph shouts, jumping into a powerful backflip uppercut, sending himself high into the air, tip of his Keyblade glowing with electricity. Zeph momentarily stops in the air, before pointing his Keyblade down at the Nightmare, and rocketing towards it, creating an explosion, destroying it instantly.

Zeph lands on the ground, the air around him sparkling with light.

"This power... What is it...?" He thinks, looking down at himself.

"Holy macaroni, Zeph! What was that?" Vanille asks.

"I'm... Not sure..." Zeph says, noticing that he has started seeing double.

"Are you okay?"

Zeph is swaying on his feet, clutching his head.

"Zeph?"

"Vanille... Get back... I'm not sure... What's going on..."

Suddenly, the world around Zeph flashes bright, and with an unbearable pain, Zeph's vision fades, and he collapses.

watch?v=D3TpPnEqyBo

Zeph feels something changing around him, but cannot open his eyes to see what's going on.

"Are you sure he can wake himself up? It's been ages..." Sora is saying.

Master Yen Sid releases a long sigh. "I... Am not sure... One thing is for certain- we cannot help him as of yet. He appears to be trying his best, but his heart seems to be falling further apart. I think he has reached the sleeping worlds, but where those will lead him, I am not sure."

"I believe in him. Zeph could see the light were I thought there was nothing left but darkness. He could save me from that place- waking himself up can't be any more difficult than that, right?" Aqua says.

"You'd be surprised, Aqua."

"Ven... I'm sorry."

"It isn't just him, you know..." Sora pipes up.

Zeph can feel the sorrow and worry of his friends.

"Everyone! I'm okay! Just give me a little more time!" He tries to speak to them, but his lips won't move.

"What is going on?" Zeph wonders- his consciousness has been restored, but he isn't awake.

"How long has it been now?"

"Three months, and he's not so much as moved... I just hope the darkness hasn't gotten him- without anything truly left, I don't think he could fight it off, even with my help." Riku says.

"C'mon everyone! We need a bit of optimism here! Of course we'll fail if we don't think we can succeed! That's just how things work!" Sora tries to encourage everyone.

"Sora is right. Belief in one another is an important part of friendship- didn't you get that memorised?" Lea says.

Zeph's eyes start to sting.

"Wait! Something's happening- look!" Aqua says, Zeph feels her hand against his cheek- she is brushing a tear off of his face. Zeph is crying.

"I think he can hear us... Zeph! If you can hear me, you have to wake up! We need you! I forgive you, just please, wake up!" Aqua says.

"Why don't you just try pulling his eyes open, Aqua? I think we should let him be- I definitely wouldn't like having my sleep interrupted like this." Lea says.

Zeph feels slightly bad for doing so, but he agrees with Lea.

"Maybe Lea is right, if we're making him lose concentration, he might not be able to wake up." Riku says.

Zeph hears everyone shuffling around a bit, and a door closing. Not being able to see what is going on makes him nervous, but he knows his actual body is in no danger.

Suddenly, Zeph feels incredibly nauseous.

"Zeph! Speak to me! Please!"

Zeph pulls himself up slowly with a groan.

"Hey, are you okay?" Vanille asks.

"Ouch... ugh... Yeah, I think I'm okay. I just... went back for a bit, I heard the people who are near me... The real me."

"The _real_ you? What do you mean?"

"So, you know how I said I was asleep... This is going to be a shock and sound very rude, but I promise you it's the truth."

"Go on, then."

"You... Nobody who is here... None of you are real..."

"What?"

"This place... _This_ Traverse Town... It only exists inside my heart... or what's left of it. This place, it is always changing, there is a real form of it- when I fell asleep, that real Traverse Town and the one in my heart were separated. This is true for all of the sleeping worlds."

"Wait, so there are multiple Traverse Towns?"

"I'm not really sure... The sleeping worlds are strange- they are accessed only by a dream, but whilst you're there, you're in just that- a dream. The Traverse Town we're in isn't the _real_ one, but our actions here will affect everyone's Traverse Town. That's what I think, anyway. One thing is for sure- my friends were here just recently- they each experienced a different Traverse Town, but the people there were the same, along with so many other things."

"That's... Strange..."

"Once I wake up, I don't know what will happen to you. What I do know is that this place _is_ connected to the real worlds... Somehow. That means I can get you all to safety, because there's a fair chance this place would just disappear when I wake up."

"Well... If we aren't real, then why does it matter?"

"Because somewhere... In the real Traverse Town, you are real- if I can get you to my worlds from here, the real you... This you will be the real you... I think..."

"Sounds confusing..."

"It is... Anyway, I need to close this Keyhole for good- one second."

Zeph summons his Keyblade, jumps back and points it at the glowing Keyhole in the air. A beam of light shoots forth from the tip, closing the threshold, and providing a stronger barrier between the darkness and Traverse Town.

As Zeph does this, a tiny triangle of light emerges from the Keyhole, and moves towards him.

"What's that?" Vanille asks.

"It's... A tiny part... of me..."

"It's your heart?"

"I tiny fraction of it. Not the only piece I need to find, but there always has to be a first."

"Well- I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks Vanille... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry about what?"

"I... Have to go now... I might see you again, but I'm not sure how long I'll be. You take care now. Say goodbye to the others from me."

"Zeph... Really? Well... Okay then, I'm rooting for you. Come back safe and sound." Vanile says, evidently hurt.

"Goodbye Vanille- you're a good friend to me." Zeph says, closing his eyes and looking up towards the sky, and starts to glow, before eventually fading away into the unknown, and towards the next world...

 **Chapter 4: In the Shadow of a God**

watch?v=qj-BKkMLdzE

Zeph feels his body slowly re-materialising.

His eyes are still closed, and he can feel the breeze blowing against his face, for a moment he stands still, content with his existence.

"Sir! Don't do that! Don't jump!" Somebody shouts at Zeph.

"E-excuse me?" Zeph asks, opening his eyes.

"Suicide is probably not the way to fix your problems! Try to see what's good about your life!" A hunchbacked man is saying, running towards Zeph.

Taken aback Zeph steps backwards, but his foot doesn't touch anything.

"Woah!" Zeph exclaims, toppling over the edge of the railing he was standing on.

Zeph reacts quickly, reaching upwards and grabbing onto the ledge just before he falls beyond its reach.

"Ouch!" Zeph is winded as he smashes against the face of the building and his shoulder locks, painfully.

"Why?" The man on top of the building asks.

"H-hey... Could you help me up please?" Zeph says, weakly

"Oh!" The man says, rushing over, and pulling Zeph back up. "Second thoughts?"

"I... Didn't realise I was on the edge of a tall building..."

"What do you mean? How?"

"It's a long story... Let's just say I didn't walk up here... I just appeared..."

"So I'm not going mad! That's a relief. What is your name, may I ask, sir?"

"My name's Zephyrus- call me Zeph!" Zeph reaches out his hand with a smile. "What's your name?"

"My name is Quasimodo... You don't think I'm a monster?"

"Of course you aren't! You just saved my life! Why would I think you're a monster?"

"Is your vision impaired?"

"No... Who said you were a monster?"

"My master- Frollo... He told me that people would think me a monster, and that I should stay here in Notre Dame, out of sight, so that I could be safe."

"He told you people would attack you based purely on your appearance?"

"He... Implied that..."

Zeph feels an impulse of pain in his mind- Riku had a near identical conversation with Quasimodo not long ago. Of course, it was in a separate world entirely...

"Well... He was lying to you- I wouldn't ever attack somebody just because they look unusual. What really matters is where your heart is- don't let yourself believe otherwise. If you're a great person, it doesn't matter what you look like. Don't let yourself be imprisoned by your own ideas."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! Well... About myself at least... I'm not from around here, so I can't speak for the locals..."

"You're just trying to get me to go out there so that you can watch me suffer, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it! Why would I want that?"

"Because I am a freak, a monster- you wish to ridicule me for your own entertainment."

"Quasimodo... How long have you imprisoned yourself here?"

"As long as I can remember- and it has kept me alive for that long."

"No matter whether or not you believe me, Quasimodo... Ask yourself this question- was that a life worth living? I've got to get going now. Don't answer right away, think about my question. I'll probably be back soon. Goodbye. Thanks again for saving me." Zeph says, walking past the man, and leaving the cathedral.

As Zeph walks out through the large doors, he shields his eyes from the intense sun.

His vision becomes clear again to reveal exactly what he didn't want to see...

There is a woman being attacked by Nightmares. Zeph quickly dashes forwards, summoning his Keyblade and getting between the woman and the Nightmares.

"I've got you! Just... Keep running- I'll hold them off!" Zeph says, not entirely sure what's best to do. Grateful at being rescued, she hurries away, leaving Zeph to fight the dark creatures.

Zeph quickly eliminates the ones that were chasing, but more appear to replace them. These ones have the appearance of elephants and strange plants.

As he continues to fight, Zeph notices a scream from behind him. The woman has been snared in some roots created by the Nightmares.

Casting a volley of spells and throwing his Keyblade into the horde of Nightmares, Zeph hurries over to the woman who seems to have badly sprained one of her ankles.

"You okay?" Zeph asks.

"I... Don't think I can walk..." She says.

"That's fine... Here..." Zeph says, carefully lifting her up and resting her across his shoulders. He notices she's extremely light- is she malnourished?

"Just tell me where I need to go, I can try to take out the Nightmares as we move."

"Okay- start in this direction." She says, pointing.

Zeph follows her directions, shooting fireballs back at the Nightmares when they get too close.

Quickly becoming tired, Zeph is slowing down, and the Nightmares are catching up.

"H-How much further is it?" He asks, panting.

"Not too much, just please, hurry!"

Zeph continues to run for a little longer before he has to stop, and nearly collapses with exhaustion. He carefully puts his companion down, apologising to her and summoning his Keyblade to fight back the Nightmares.

"Please, sir! It isn't much farther! You can do it!"

Zeph, unable to look at the woman just shakes his head solemnly and readies himself to fight off the Nightmares. Zeph takes a hold of his wayfinder and tries to use its power to contact his friends, but the faded charm crumples away between Zeph's fingers.

Fighting back tears, Zeph weakly holds his Keyblade pointed towards the Nightmares.

Suddenly a silhouetted shape jumps down from a building and grabs hold of Zeph and the woman he was trying to help.

"Don't worry! I will help you!"

The man's voice sends an intense joy through Zeph.

"Quasimodo! You did listen to me! Thanks so much!" Zeph cries with joy.

"Your words... They made me angry, but as I thought about them, I saw that you were speaking only the truth."

"It takes a good heart to see the truth sometimes, Quasimodo."

Quasimodo nods and continues to follow the woman's directions until they reach a graveyard.

"Here we are." She says.

"Excuse me if I'm missing something obvious, but why, exactly are we risking life and limb to come to a graveyard?"

"I'll show you... Quasimodo, was it? Could you help me walk over there?"

"Yes, of course."

Zeph decides introductions are in order.

"So, anyway- my name's Zephyrus- call me Zeph. What's your name?"

"My name's Esmeralda- I'm a dancer... Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thanks for pulling me out of that tough situation there... Zeph and Quasimodo."

"Hey... I can help with your ankle, I think. Here- Heal!" Zeph says, casting his healing magic on Esmeralda.

"Woah! I'm not going mad! Are you really magic?"

"I guess you could say that... It's a long story..."

"Well- follow me, and you can tells us both all about it." Esmeralda says, now fleet of foot. She skips over to a passage that was slightly concealed.

"Where are we going?" Zeph asks.

"We're going to the Court of Miracles, we just need to head through these catacombs first."

"Spooky... Okay then." Zeph says. The keyhole is in this direction, so he has nothing to lose by sticking together.

"Quasimodo? You okay?" Zeph asks.

"Oh, me? Yes, sir..."

"How's the outside world for you?"

"It's a little daunting, but I think I like it."

"Good to hear."

The three of them continue through the underground corridors, and after only a few quick fights with Nightmares, come out into a large room.

"Here we are!" Esmeralda says, with a pirouette.

"That's a relief... I guess I should tell you my story, then?"

"Please, do."

"Okay- we should probably find somewhere to sit down, because this could take a while." Zeph says.

Esmeralda takes them into a tent where there are cushions to sit on. Zeph tells his two new friends everything about his odd little adventure- right from his heart leaving him in Twilight Town, to the loss of his best friend, to his journey through the Realms of Darkness, and now, the sleeping worlds.

"So this world... It was damaged somehow?"

"Yes... It was almost destroyed, but was only just saved, ending up, just as I have- asleep."

"Well... I hope you can wake up, Zeph." Esmeralda says.

"Me too..." Quasimodo agrees.

"Well... I think I can wake up, but I'd love to find a way to fix the sleeping worlds, too. In any case, I have to close the keyhole in this world now. Thankfully, it's right here." Zeph says, getting up and leaving the tent.

He walks over to a wall where, sure enough, there is a faintly glowing keyhole. Summoning his Keyblade, and suddenly feeling hugely crestfallen, Zeph closes the keyhole. A tiny light comes out, just as before, and makes its way into Zeph's chest.

Suddenly, and intense onrush of pain crushes Zeph's consciousness, and he collapses.

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Zeph sees a boy who looks very like Ventus waking up in Twilight Town... In Zeph's house... Zeph sees this boy look around his bedroom, and Zeph sees everything- all of it, exactly as he left it. Homesickness tries to push its way through Zeph's vision, but cannot overcome it.

"Another dream about him..." The boy says.

"No way... Was he?" Zeph thinks.

Suddenly the vision depicts one of Zeph's dreams from all that time ago- this boy was having exactly the same dreams.

The vision goes back to showing the boy, facing a man Zeph recognises from his visions- the Nobody Xemnas. Suddenly, Zeph remembers- this boy's name is Roxas. He is Sora's nobody, who looks like Ventus because of Ventus's heart residing inside Sora's.

The vision changes again- this time Roxas is wearing a coat of a member of Organisation XIII, and is in their world.

Roxas receives a mission from a man who looks a lot like Braig- somebody who Zeph remembers helped Xehanort make Tera succumb to darkness.

Roxas completes his mission and goes to the clock tower in Twilight Town, and has an ice cream with somebody who looks like Lea... and faintly, Zeph can make out another shape. A spirit, like a memory that wants to be forgotten. Somebody was there, with Roxas... But who? Why did he forget about them?

Zeph feels an incredible sadness rush through him, and remembers, the girl who should never have existed... One who all forgot... Xion...

"Why me?" Zeph wonders- there's no particular reason that he should have access to these lost memories, so why can he recall them?

"You have to have a heart... to cry..." Zeph remembers Sora saying to Xemnas.

Then, Zeph feels himself, again, doing just that- crying.

Through the blackness, he can hear voices. Again, he can hear through his real ears.

"He's crying again... What do we think is wrong?" Lea wonders

"Maybe he's remembering his own past... Perhaps something happened- possibly even worse than what happened to Laz. I'm sure that's not just his mind being sad about something... His heart... It's genuinely hurting for something, I just can't tell what..." Riku says. Zeph is trying his best to speak to his friends, but he still can't move at all.

"Zeph... I hope you're okay in there... Whatever happens, just remember- we're here for you, no matter what happens." A voice Zeph doesn't recognise says... Well- Zeph does recognise the voice, but he can't put a finger on who is speaking. The only thing that he can think of is a phrase- "Thank Naminé". Naminé... Who was that again? Zeph is sure he knows about them.

"You never met-" Sora starts to say, but the name he was referring to just doesn't seem to get picked up by Zeph's ears. "- She might not be able to fight like the rest of us can, but her heart's in the right place."

"Sora! I'm right here, you know!"

Zeph hears laughter and people leaving.

After a short wait, Zeph hears the door very quietly opening and closing.

"There you go... Hi again, Zeph... I hope you can hear me." Zeph hears Ventus saying.

"I'm not really sure what's going on, but somehow it feels like everyone has just... started to forget about you- Aqua and I are the only people who seem to come and check on you every day, nobody else seems at all interested. We managed to persuade them to come in just now- you might have heard that. Anyway, I know what you're going through- it isn't easy, but you're stronger than I am- you can wake up. Just... You saved me, so if you can, then for whatever reason your heart is hurting... Let that sadness and pain out- I'll help you to cope."

The door opens and closes again.

"Ven... Where are you up to?"

"I was just saying that I'll help him with that pain..."

"I will too. Zeph... Maybe I've not been the best friend to anybody, but I really do want what's best. We're both here for you, just as you were there for us. I noticed that your Wayfinder has gone, so I made you a new one. Maybe when you wake up, you can re-connect, huh?"

Zeph feels pain throughout his entire body- why does this have to be happening? His friends are going through so much sorrow over him.

"Whatever happens... We'll never forget, and we'll always be here for you. I promise you... This time... I'll keep that promise..." Aqua says, Zeph can hear that she's starting to cry.

"Aqua... Don't get yourself down- none of this was your fault. Master Xehanort set us all up, you couldn't have known any of it. I'm sure Zeph would agree with me... Looks like it could do us some good to be able to forget about it all... But I'd never want that- Zeph, you wake up as soon as you can, okay? We're suffering here without you." Ventus gets up and leaves.

"Zeph... You've seen the things I did in the past... Maybe they weren't bad, maybe it wasn't my fault that everything went wrong... But it's still my responsibility to set things right. You're just one of those things. Zeph, I can tell that you're hurt by everything that's been going on, that girl... Don't worry about her... What's important right now is that you're alive. So please... just stay that way, and wake up whilst you're at it. I... Don't know what to say now, and I doubt anything I could say would help, so I'll leave you be. Goodnight, Zeph- have a better rest than we're getting."

Zeph feels Aqua taking a hold of one of his hands and squeezing it lightly as she gets up to walk away.

"I'm so sorry..." Zeph thinks as he feels his partial consciousness slipping away once again...

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Zeph can hear fighting going on, and through blurred eyes does his best to tell what's going on back in La Cité Des Cloches.

"Now I've finally found you all, I can rid this place of your filth once and for all!"

"No, master, please!"

"Quasimodo! I trusted you... You weren't to leave the cathedral!"

"You told me that was for my own good... But it was for _your_ good, wasn't it?"

"You ungrateful swine! I should have just killed you the moment I found you! No matter! I shall do it now!"

"No... No you won't..."

"What?"

"Zeph!"

"Leave them alone..."

"You... Some lowlife... Are telling _me THE ARCHDEACON_ what I can and can't do?"

"Yes... Yes I am... Leave this place... Now..." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade.

"Phoebus... Kill them... _All of them_."

"Frollo... Are you-"

"Do it!"

The guard standing next to the old man who is confronting the three friends advances forward, brandishing his sword. Zeph rushes forwards, dropping his Keyblade and thrusts an arm protectively between his friends and the guard.

"Please, sir... Can't you see?" Esmeralda says.

Phoebus pauses.

Zeph stares deeply into the man's eyes, letting his sorrow appear openly, but looking as if he's trying to hold it back as hard as he can.

Phoebus stops completely.

"Phoebus... Are you denying me?"

"I... Sir... Yes... I am."

"What was that?"

"I've had enough of your senseless killing! These people have done nothing wrong! Just because they're different doesn't mean they're a danger! You want me to kill a girl who can barely be called a young woman, a hunchback and a young man? For what cause? Tell me, sir?"

"Does my _order_ not satisfy you any more? Then so be it..." Frollo says, darkness starting to surge around him.

"Everyone! Get out of the way!" Zeph shouts, jumping and pulling Pheobus to the ground with him. A huge pulse of darkness blasts out from Frollo and he laughs, gone mad with power. Zeph gets up, and Phoebus with him- they ready their weapons.

Suddenly, Frollo twitches, and stops moving completely. Zeph hears the old man's bones crack, as something about him changes... Frollo's skin starts to turn purple, and his face, contorted with pain and rage starts to change shape, all the while, he is growing...

"All of you... Get out of here..." Zeph whispers. "Quickly..."

"What about you, Zeph?" Quasimodo asks.

"I'll make sure that Frollo never catches up to you, or anybody else."

"No... Zeph, let me do it- you've got much more life ahead of you than I do." Quasimodo says.

"But I'm the only one who deserves to rot with this man" Phoebus pipes up, his eyes glazed over.

"Look... All of you, I want you to forget about me, okay? And Frollo, too. I'm about to do something that you won't like... and I might not see you again afterwards... so this means goodbye... WIND!" Zeph bites back his huge burden of sorrow, casting a monumental gust of wind, to blow his friends all the way out of The Court of Miracles, and cause a rock fall, sealing himself in with Frollo.

"Now... You..."

"Help...Me..." Frollo's last words are, as the change completes. The evil man has changed into something far more fitting- a huge, terribly ugly gargoyle-like Nightmare.

Shocked that something like this could happen, Zeph hops backwards a short distance and summons his Keyblade as the emblem of a Nightmare appears on what used to be Frollo.

"A Wargoyle... A form to fit you perfectly..." Zeph mutters as the creature jumps into the air, and starts to fly. "Hmph... Who's the monster now?" Zeph shouts at the Nightmare, before going into stance to fight for real.

Frollo's ears are now dead to the world, but Zeph likes to think it is out of anger that the Nightmare flies in at Zeph, attacking with both arms in a crushing slam.

Zeph artfully backflips out of the way, keeping his eyes trained on his foe.

The Wargoyle turns around to face Zeph- it went past him as it flew.

"Still got to get used to it, huh? I understand. Hey- could be worse- somebody could've lied to you, saying you're a monster. At least if I say that to you, it's true." Zeph taunts- if past performance is anything to go by, getting his own spirits up will take longer than the actual fight, so he might as well try doing both at the same time.

Taking careful tabs on Zeph's movement, or lack thereof, the Nightmare slowly floats back towards him, fire sparking at the edges of its mouth.

Zeph casts a barrier spell as the Wargoyle spits a gout of flame over him.

Deciding that this has gone on long enough when his barrier is about to fall, Zeph throws his Keyblade at the one of the Nightmare's wings.

The Keyblade carves through the thin piece of dream-flesh like there were nothing there, and the Wargoyle falls to the ground with a resounding thud and a grunt.

Zeph doesn't let up, and is already standing on the creature's chest raising his Keyblade to strike before it can shake him off, fortunately for the creature, it didn't need to shake Zeph off completely. Zeph's attack glaces off the Nightmare's armoured shoulder, dealing minimal damage. As his wrist jerks from the impact, Zeph falls off the Nightmare, losing his advantage.

Although a little annoyed that he couldn't end the fight there and then, Zeph lands on his feet and keeps himself ready for his enemy's next move.

Move the Wargoyle does- it swings its arms in a wide punch that Zeph easily dodges, but he doesn't realise that the Nightmare is doing a full spin. Zeph gets hit by a powerful rotary blow and is sent flying across the ruined Court of Miracles, in which most of the tents have now caught fire.

Slamming hard into the wall knocks the breath out of Zeph, who falls to the ground, stunned.

The Wargoyle lets out a victory grunt, and walks over, raising its arms to deal the final blow...

Suddenly, the creature starts to stagger back, as if hit by some force.

Zeph, whose head is still swimming staggers upright to see the Nightmare fall over.

"Q-Quick, boy! End this!" Zeph hears a very tired sounding voice say.

"What?"

"Strike me down! Please!"

Then Zeph realises- Frollo is somehow resisting the Wargoyle's influence, and has taken partial control of the creature's body.

"But you'll be killed too!"

"No matter... My life has gone on long enough! Just purge the land of this filthy creature!"

Not sure whether to be touched or ashamed, Zeph quickly rushes over to the creature and slashes hard down on its neck with his Keyblade.

"Thank you... I am sorry for what I did... Truly."

"May God have mercy on you, Frollo..." Zeph whispers as he closes his eyes and wills himself towards the next world, his mind still overflowing with conflicting feelings about the past.

 **Chapter 5: An Unreachable Goal**

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Zeph opens his eyes and finds himself in a small room full of machines.

"New user detected, please step forwards" An automated voice says.

Zeph does as he's told and the room around him comes to life, the machines around him changing his clothes into the jumpsuit-like outfit that everyone on The Grid wears.

Zeph recognises this outfit, and instantly thinks of Tron, a program who helped Sora defeat an evil AI that was ruling over The Grid. Zeph also remembers Sora's visit to the sleeping world form of The Grid- Tron was not so friendly here. Zeph hopes that he will be more fortunate.

Zeph looks down at his new set of clothes and smiles.

"I could get used to this..." He mutters, looking at the pulsing blue ribbons flowing over his arms.

"Reformation complete- disc profile formation sequence engaging." The voice says.

"Profile formation?" Zeph wonders what it means- if this is some identification method, he'd do well to be without one.

"Please stand still, neural scan initiation."

Zeph decides to make an exit and uses his Keyblade to open the door that was preventing his access to the outside world.

"Error... Closing door..." The machine says, and the door starts to slowly slide to a close behind Zeph.

Looking around, and taking his surroundings in, Zeph notices that his Keyblade seems to have adapted to his new environment, taking on a digital aesthetic similar to that of Zeph's new outfit.

Zeph is in a corridor with a window on one side, which looks out over a huge arena.

Suddenly, an alarm goes off.

"User assimilation failed, red alert! Possible intruder to The Grid!" The automated voice says.

The white and blue glowing ribbons of the corridor change to oranges and reds, and Zeph decides he should get a move on.

The door at the end of the corridor opens to let three men through it, before closing behind them and locking. Zeph reacts quickly, and activates his Keyblade armour, which instead covers his face with a visor like two of the men have.

The third man's face is exposed, and he walks forward.

"Are you the user?" He asks.

Zeph doesn't respond.

"I don't mean you any harm unless you continue to resist, young man. My name is CLU. What is yours?"

Zeph knows that this man is definitely not a friend, but doesn't know what to do.

"You will not speak?"

Zeph shakes his head solemnly.

"Then you leave me no choice- destroy him. Beware- he is a user."

As the two masked programs run towards Zeph, he looks around again, trying to find an escape route. The only ways out of the corridor are through the two doors, but they're tightly closed, so Zeph is left with only one option.

With a huge crash and the sound of glass shattering, Zeph is out in free fall above the arena.

"Damn it! Don't let him get away!"

Zeph closes his arms and pulls into a steep nose dive, before flipping upright and landing hard down on his feet, causing a shockwave through the arena.

In an instant, he is surrounded by hostile programs. The hostiles' leader's voice comes out of the speaker system in the arena.

"Do not resist us- we only seek to test you. Take your helmet off and give your disc to one of the programs."

Zeph cannot afford to give them anything to go by, so he still refuses to speak. As the programs close in, Zeph realises that he may have no option but to fight.

The program directly in front of Zeph stops and reaches out its arm.

"Give him your disc and we will let you live." CLU's voice speaks out again.

A shiver goes down Zeph's spine as the humming sound of the hostile programs' discs starting to enter weapon mode reaches his ears, getting ever closer, ever louder.

Just as the programs are about to strike, Zeph runs and pushes past the one he was supposed to give his disc to- it is now only a matter of time before they realise his disc has nothing on it.

Zeph hears hum of the discs passing just behind him as he runs as fast as he can. Something is changing- Zeph starts to feel lighter, stronger... Like he is a river that can flow wherever it wishes. As he runs, Zeph notices he is getting faster, and starting to glow- some form of flowmotion has overtaken him.

Zeph is now far away from the hostile programs, and he looks back to see them taking bars off of their waists, and jumping forwards. As they jump, motorcycle-like contraptions appear around them.

Within moments, the programs have caught up using their light cycles. Zeph looks all around him- and knows that he only has one chance at his next maneuver. As the light cycle on his right turns in to slam him, Zeph does a short jump towards it. His timing was perfect, and he grabs onto the side of the vehicle, throwing its driver off, and taking over the controls himself. The interface lights up at his touch, and the ribbons on the vehicle change colour to the pale blue Zeph has on his clothes. Quickly jerking the steering back to the right, Zeph straightens up, and looks at the controls. As he looks, they change their structure somewhat, becoming clear to Zeph what each thing does. Speeding up drastically, Zeph takes the lead of the group and switches on the hard-light ribbon that his light cycle can produce- this will derez his opponents, but Zeph hopes it won't kill them.

After a few laps of the arena, Zeph has got enemy dropships on his tail. Listening intently to everything going on behind him, Zeph hears something he really didn't want to. Pushing his light cycle to the limit, Zeph gains as much time as possible to pull away from the photon torpedo. At the last moment, he ejects from the light cycle, sending it crashing into the wall of the arena. The photon torpedo hits its mark with devastating force, destroying the arena wall. As Zeph lands, he stumbles and nearly falls, but just about keeps his footing, running, just trying not to show his Keyblade.

The dropship charges up a laser cannon, and Zeph hears it start firing long before he has reached his self made exit to the arena. Not wanting to stop, even as the death ray is about to encompass him, Zeph jumps forward, casting an intense barrier spell that reflects the attack back at the dropship. With a loud bang, part of the hull falls off, and various equipment falls through the hole. Zeph sees one of the light cycle bars, and quickly diverts off his course in order to grab it. As he does so, two more dropships appear, this time deploying more programs onto lightcycles, too. Zeph's light cycle seems to be a tiny bit faster than theirs, however, and he pulls a short distance ahead.

"Don't let him get away! If he is able to use his user-level access anywhere else, who knows what he'll do!" The man's voice speaks. Because Zeph is classed as a user, he has elevated privileges, so everything on The Grid that works for the programs works for him a bit better.

After a bit more dodging enemy fire, Zeph and his light cycle are out of the arena, and have gone over a jump, a very, very large jump. Zeph looks around to see that the hostile programs seem to have stopped their pursuit. Thinking that falling much further would be dangerous, Zeph decides to try and interesting idea. He summons his Keyblade and connects it to his light cycle. The display lights up with messages, and Zeph inputs a few commands, before turning his Keyblade and light cycle into an upgraded glider. Not sure what to do next, Zeph looks at the display again- it has detected an object floating nearby. Curious, Zeph moves in to investigate...

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As Zeph approaches the anomaly, Zeph starts to see what it is; there is a person floating in the cyber-sea. Zeph goes as close to the "water" as possible, and carefully reaches in, pulling the person out.

"Oh... I..." The person says, waking up.

"I don't really know where we are, either, before you ask. Just hold on, and I'll get us to safety."

"Thank you... Umm?"

"I'll tell you my name once I'm sure I can trust you." Zeph says, not wanting his identity to spread onto the grid.

After a short journey on Zeph's contraption, they arrive on solid, digital land.

"Thanks so much for your help there, sir. My name is Tron- pleasure to meet you." Zeph gasps upon hearing the name. "Is something the matter?"

"You're Tron? As in _the_ Tron?"

"Have I got such a reputation now? Gosh- this place looks a lot different to how I remember it..."

"I have a long story to tell you, Tron- it might be hard to believe, but I can give you evidence. You remember Sora, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"Okay... My name is Zephyrus- I'm like Sora. I have a Keyblade, too. There's a long story about me, but right now, you need to know who you are."

"I know who I am... What do you mean?"

"You know... Who you were... A lot of things have changed since then. I don't know all of it, but I know roughly what happened. We should get moving- I'll tell you on the way."

"The way to where?"

"To the keyhole."

"Okay..."

Zeph splits his Keyblade from the light cycle, and the two get onto it for a land journey.

As they travel, Zeph speaks to Tron.

"Okay- let's make a start. This world- The Grid is very different to the way you remember it, right?"

"Yes. Totally."

"Okay. So... Go back a few years... You remember Flynn, right? He created The Grid. Now, he wanted to make this place perfect, so he made a program- a copy of himself called CLU to help. Together with CLU and yourself, you changed The Grid totally, making it in many ways, a better place. Then something changed in CLU... Everything the three of you built... I'm not sure why or how... But in his quest for perfection, CLU created a corrupt world, where all those who do not serve him are put to death. I think he reprogrammed you to remain his right-hand program. You, once a hero, were given the alias 'Rinzler' to show that you'd changed into being a pawn for CLU. You were his best warrior, but you seemed to have no will of your own. Very recently, Flynn's son, Sam came onto the Grid, and he took his father's disc back to the real world, where he's going to reboot it, or something... In any case, he's going to bring it back to the way it was."

"Okay then... That's a lot to take in... Where do you fit into all of this?"

"I... Don't fit into that... I'm classed as a user by the Grid, but that's probably only because I'm not a program either. I don't come from the world that the computer The Grid runs on, anyway. What's important is that there is a new problem emerging in this place... Ones that rebooting the Grid won't fix- they're what I'm here for."

Then, as if to prove his point, a ram-shaped Nightmare appears in their way. Zeph quickly pulls over, summoning his Keyblade and striking down the creature.

Within an instant, Zeph and Tron are surrounded.

"Here we have our problem. These things are Nightmares, just... They're not actually Heartless, but they're basically the same. So treat them in the same way."

"Roger! Wait a second..."

"What is is?"

"I... My disc... It's gone..."

"Darn... It must've fallen into the cyber sea. Take mine instead." Zeph says, giving his disc to Tron. Instantly on Tron's touch, the thing lights up and activates itself.

"Recalculating ownership... Synchronising... New identity complete as 'Tron'"

"You ready?" Zeph asks.

"Always." Tron says.

The two of them make quick work of the small group of Nightmares, and before long, are back on the road. However, progress is slow, because they keep having to make stops like this.

After they have been stopped about ten times, Tron decides there must be a better way.

"Zeph, could you give me a few moments, please?" He asks.

"Okay, what's up?"

"I'm going to get us a more effective mode of transport." Tron says, getting out his disc and setting to work on some programming. Suddenly, just as Tron is about to finish, the disc flashes up orange, and CLU appears in its projection.

"R...Tron? Is that you? It has been such a terribly long time. I am sorry."

"Flynn! You're here again? I'm just happy to see you're okay." Tron says. Zeph doesn't say anything, but he grits his teeth at Tron's gullibility.

"The same goes for me. I wish these were better times, however I cannot give you good news. There is a user rogue on The Grid. I fear he wishes to... Destroy it... Yes, that's it! If we cannot stop him, he will help my son destroy The Grid! We cannot let this happen, not after all we've done."

"Is that so? Then I will tell you the moment I see this user- should I destroy them if I'm not able to contact you?"

"If you must. It would be best if you can capture him, however."

"Understood, sir. I will initiate a search immediately." Tron says, and the projection disappears.

"Is this true? You want to destroy The Grid?"

Zeph is facing away from Tron, and he doesn't turn around.

"Because if you do, there must be a good reason. I'll help you. This disc is untraceable, so CLU doesn't know where we are. Give me another second, and I'll make us a ride." Tron says. Zeph can't believe his ears.

"I didn't think... Tron... You just lied..."

"And what of it?"

"You... No, not just you- everyone who was made here, you are more than just code. Tron, thank you for helping me realise this."

"That was CLU, right?"

"Yes. You've helped me more than you can immagine. Now, you needn't worry, I'm not here to destroy The Grid. I don't really want to change it unless somebody here asks me to, but I'm worried..." Zeph says, trailing off.

"Worried? About what?"

"Worried that I might need to destroy CLU... And possibly everything he created, which would nearly destroy this world. If that happens, Tron. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Don't worry, either. You are a user. CLU mentioned Flynn's son, and you did too. If he has control over The Grid's main computer, and there is a user here, too, we can restore The Grid."

"Restore it...?" Zeph says.

Suddenly, a four-wheeled light buggy appears out of thin digital air.

"Get in, we can keep talking whilst we're moving. I think that call could have been traced, which means CLU could be heading this direction. If I was in the cyber sea, then he could be suspicious that you pulled me out."

"Right." Zeph says, hopping into the passenger seat. The buggy's display lights up, with a navigation system pointing them in the direction Zeph can feel the keyhole is in. Tron gets in next to him, and they set off.

"You mentioned restoring The Grid earlier?" Zeph asks.

"Yes... It is possible for a user to reset The Grid to a previous state, but CLU has Flynn's level of clearance in the system. That means that another user will have to override CLU saying no."

"But what will that do?"

"It will take this place back to the way it was at the restore point... Which is before CLU, before all of this. I remember now. Back then... This place was perfect as it was."

"They always say that sometimes you can lose sight of what makes something good in trying to improve it. I'm starting to see that that may well be true."

Just as Zeph finishes speaking, large cyber-bird Nightmares appear beside the buggy..

Zeph starts to stand up, but Tron puts an arm on his shoulder to stop him. Tron pushes a button, and the wheels on the buggy rotate so that the thing is levitating. The wheels start to spin extremely quickly, then shoot beams of light in all directions away from the buggy. The Nightmares are destroyed almost instantly.

"Pretty nifty, huh?" Tron asks.

"That was awesome! Did you design this thing?"

"I would be lying to say I didn't, but I pretty much already had the framework from Flynn's own ideas."

"Tron, you don't need to be so modest. Anyone would be more amazed to see that Flynn has made programs that have genuine minds of their own."

"Maybe so... Thank you, Zeph."

The rest of the journey is fairly uneventful, although they do have to destroy a few more Nightmares and have a close run-in with a scout ship.

Tron pulls over next to a huge tower.

"I think this is the place!" Zeph says.

"Wow, this brings back memories..." Tron reflects.

"Where are we?"

"I think... This is the old I/O tower that we downloaded the data that Flynn, Sora and I used to override the MCP all that time ago."

"Fitting that this should be where I release this world from the darkness, then?"

"What do you mean?" Tron asks.

"Oh... I never did tell you about the state of this world... This is one of seven sleeping worlds. They are worlds whose hearts were almost irreversibly damaged by an evil being a year or two ago. That's about as much as I really know, but I need to lock the Keyholes in each of these worlds so that the darkness can't get in any longer. Sora and Riku came through these worlds recently and opened the paths to light, but the sleeping worlds still aren't free from the darkness."

"I see... You said rebooting the grid wouldn't fix it earlier- this is because this... Keyhole to the darkness would remain unlocked?"

"Exactly. So let's be quick. This is the I/O tower, so if Sam and Quorra need us, then we can help them."

"Sam and Quorra?"

"I... That's Flynn's son's name. He has a girl with him called Quorra. I just remembered their names. I have the memories of lots of people and sometimes they just pop out."

"Zephyrus... In the nicest possible way- you are very strange."

"I get that... Surprisingly little, given the circumstances." Zeph says, scratching the back of his head and giggling. He really hasn't had many people call him out on his ability to recall the memories of other Keyblade wielders.

The two walk through into the I/O tower, not knowing what awaits them.

Once inside, Tron and Zeph look around- there doesn't seem to be anything here.

"This is strange. I was sure we deleted this old place." Tron says.

Zeph walks forwards and climbs onto the raised platform in the centre of the room.

Suddenly, the tower lights up and comes to life, making Zeph jump and summon his Keyblade.

When he realises nothing is wrong, Zeph looks up to see the keyhole just a little bit above him. He points his Keyblade at it and as usual, a beam of light shoots out, however, just before the keyhole is locked, a huge Nightmare comes through and rushes past Zeph and Tron. Zeph finishes locking the keyhole and turns around.

"Zeph! We should hurry! I think that thing wants to take control of the system! It flew off towards the old central system core! If it can upload itself there, it will have all the power that the old MCP had!" Tron says.

"Okay! Let's go then!" Zeph says, jumping down.

Suddenly, the I/O Tower picks up and input.

The speakers have a lot of static to start, but they improve after a few seconds.

"H-Hello? Is somebody here?" They say.

"Zeph! That must be Sam! Quickly! Take my disc and speak to them!" Tron says, giving the disc to Zeph.

"Hello! Yes! Somebody is here!" Zeph says to the disc.

"Really? I thought the old Grid had been completely deleted. Anyway- we're picking up that you're a user. What's your name?"

"I'm Zephyrus! Call me Zeph!"

"Zephyrus...? Never heard a name like that before..."

"Are you Sam Flynn?" Zeph asks.

"Yes! Do I know you from somewhere? Oh well! Look, Zeph, we need your help! CLU has ruined The Grid, and is putting it under too much strain. We can fix all that he's done, we just need to restore The Grid. We had thought that my father could override CLU's declines to the restore, but the system has decided they're the same person, so we needed a new user. That's where you come in-" Sam says, but is cut off by the lights switching off and the ground shaking.

"Zeph! I think that creature is trying to integrate as the MCP! We have to stop it ASAP!" Tron says.

"Okay!" Zeph says, typing a text message that Sam will see as soon as the system reactivates. "Let's go!"

The two rush off towards the old Solar Sailer, hoping that they can reach the Nightmare in time.

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As soon as they are on the Solar Sailer, Tron punches in the destination and manually overrides the movement rate.

"This thing is old- I hope it can take the increased stress!" Tron says.

"Tron! We've got company!" Digital Nightmares have appeared all over the Solar Sailer.

"Zeph! You can't let them damage the Solar Sailer! I'll try to activate its weapon systems!" Tron says.

Zeph summons his Keyblade and sets to work on the group of enemies, throwing his Keyblade at one of the birds and casting a windstorm at a group of cyber-rams, pushing them off the edge. Not stopping for a moment, Zeph turns around, rushing in and striking down three more Nightmares with physical attacks.

After a minute or so of typing on the Solar Sailer's mainframe, Tron grunts and smacks the old interface.

"I don't think this thing actually has any weapons, so I can't activate them. We're nearly there- it should only be a few more minutes!" Tron says, turning around and throwing his disc into the fray- it destroys four more Nightmares.

Zeph jumps up and banishes the last one.

"There, that looks like all of them." Zeph says, putting away his Keyblade and going out of stance. After only a moment's peace and quiet, however, they hear one of CLU's dropships closing in.

"Tron!"

"Oh! Damn it! He must've seen that the I/O tower was activated! That dropship will be able to destroy the Solar Sailer, but I don't think they've seen us yet! Zeph! Hide!"

"I can't. Tron, pretend you're fighting me."

"What?"

"You said you'd attack me if you saw me! We might be able to fool him!"

"Good idea!"

The two start to pretend to fight in a way that looks like they're genuinely fighting, but are so well matched in skill that neither party can gain any sort of advantage.

"Tron! I see you have found the user! Good work! I didn't even know this part of The Grid still existed, but I guess you can never completely delete anything..." CLU's voice rings out of the speakers.

Zeph hears CLU beaming down from the ship, and breaks away from Tron with a backwards cartwheel, bringing his Keyblade down on one of CLU's guards. Tron throws his disc at the other. Both are immediately derezzed.

"So you have betrayed me, Tron?"

" _I_ never worked for you! You changed me into a monster!"

"So you know I'm not Flynn, then? Who could your little friend be, in that case? I see he wields a Keyblade."

Zeph takes his helmet off to reveal his face.

"My name is of no importance, in fact, I mean very little at all here. CLU- I don't want to have to hurt you. I just need to destroy a creature that is trying to act as the MCP."

"Lying to me won't help you. I saw you activated the I/O tower- why would you do that if you weren't going to restore The Grid?"

"CLU! Your tyranny will end here!" Tron says, rushing in to attack.

CLU effortlessly deflects Tron's strikes, and grabs a hold of him.

"Tron!" Zeph shouts, summoning his Keyblade and rushing towards CLU, but the two programs have already disappeared into the dropship before Zeph can attack. Zeph curses, then is knocked over as the Solar Sailer crashes to an abrupt halt at the central system core. Pulling himself up, Zeph hurries off of the Solar Sailer and towards the Nightmare...

Zeph emerges into a circular room with a large hole in the middle. He looks around to try to find the Nightmare, and eventually he notices a slight dark mist right in the centre of the room. Zeph throws his Keyblade at the darkness, and instantly it condenses to form a Nightmare that resemble a praying mantis attached to a disc like Tron's.

Bringing his Keyblade back into his hands, Zeph goes into stance for real and readies himself for a difficult fight.

The Nightmare starts by firing many small lasers at Zeph, who deflects them easily. Realising that its foe is far stronger than anything it has had to fight before, the Nightmare ups its game, and throws its disc at him. Zeph jumps back just in time so that he isn't hit, but cannot follow up with an attack because the Nightmare is floating out of his reach. He casts a fireball, but some form of energy shield blocks it long before it reaches its intended destination.

The Nightmare makes a creaking sound like a nail against glass that Zeph assumes is supposed to be a laugh, before bombarding him with smaller discs and lasers like earlier. Zeph is hit by a few, but the impacts don't stagger him much, so he is able to cast a barrier spell before he takes much damage. The projectiles bounce in all directions off Zeph's shield, and some even hit the Nightmare itself. Once it has stopped firing, Zeph throws his Keyblade to test if it will go through the barrier; it doesn't. A plan starts to form in Zeph's mind as the Nightmare throws its large disc a second time.

The creature's limbs start to glow as it charges up an onslaught of lasers and discs. Zeph stands still, waiting for the creature to make its move.

As the Nightmare fires its attack, Zeph casts a barrier convex in front of him, which captures the creature's attacks and focuses them all at the energy shield around the Nightmare. The creature stops firing after it is hit , but its barrier is down, giving Zeph the chance he needs. Zeph runs forwards and jumps out over the pit in the centre of the room, stabbing his Keyblade into his enemy and using it to swing over to the other side, throwing the wounded Nightmare into the killzone at the bottom of the pit. Zeph looks down, making sure the creature has been vanquished, and throws his Keyblade at where the Nightmare was just in case.

The ground shakes again, and Zeph hurries outside- The Grid seems to be collapsing.

As Zeph gets back on the Solar Sailer, CLU's dropship swoops down, shooting at the Solar Sailer, clearly with the intention of destroying it. Zeph quickly dives off the Solar Sailer, and gets onto his Keyblade Glider, making haste towards the I/O tower.

Zeph touches down, and the flash of his Keyblade glider disappearing alerts CLU of his position. He hurries into the I/O tower and sends a message to Sam the he's back.

"Zeph? You're back?"

"Yes! Hurry! I don't have long! This whole place is coming apart, and CLU's taken Tron. I think he wants to kill me so that you can't destroy The Grid!"

"Okay! I'm preparing the command to restore The Grid, but it'll take some time. Please, just hold out for a little longer!"

"Your foolish attempt to destroy The Grid ends here, boy." Zeph hears CLU say.

"No, CLU- today is when your tyranny will end, once and for all!" Zeph says, going into stance, but not summoning his Keyblade.

"You can't hope to defeat me. I disabled your Keyblade's signature- it can't reappear here. Besides, it won't be me you'll be fighting. Tron... or should I say Rinzler? _Destroy him!_ "

Zeph watches as his friend powers up two discs into weapon mode.

"I don't need my Keyblade... I'll take you both on if I need to." Zeph says- he knows he could easily summon his Keyblade, but he doesn't want to use it against Tron.

Zeph's reprogrammed friend throws both discs with devastating force, but Zeph is capable of dodging both, and rushing in to land a few punches.

" _Hah!_ Look at you! Only your bare hands... Not so sure of yourself anymore, are we?" CLU taunts, standing firmly with Rinzler between him and Zeph.

"Zeph? What's happening down there? Do you need me to help you? Here, I'll upgrade you to an administrator- that should make your punches and kicks super powerful. It might take a few moments, though."

Zeph delivers a swift combo of of three punches to Rinzler's face before using a spinning kick to take out the program's legs, then casting a wind spell to blow Rinzler back into the wall, stunning him.

Zeph turns to CLU, who throws a punch, which Zeph catches easily, and throws aside. CLU spins around, attacking another two times.

Zeph blocks the punches, but is still badly hurt, as he can only use his arms to block.

Zeph hops back, embers jumping from the tips of his fingers. CLU runs forwards with a heavy overhead strike, which Zeph just about manages to catch with both his arms.

"There! I think it's done! You should be an admin now! Just a few more moments on the restore timer!" Sam's voice rings out.

Zeph feels himself growing stronger, and grips CLU's hand tighter and tighter until he can see the pain on the evil program's face. Zeph then jerks the arm around with a familiar crunching sound resulting from the movement, accompanied by a scream. Zeph turns around, shaking off his right hand, before spinning around again and punching CLU so hard that he goes flying into the wall of the I/O tower, nearly shattering on the wall.

Zeph notices just in time the Rinzler has gotten up, and dives out of the way of a disc, which goes flying straight into CLU, making his code start to flicker. Zeph grabs a hold of Rinzler and shouts at the program to change back to its true self. Rinzler resists for a few seconds, but shortly starts to slow down, the orange ribbons on his suit starting to change to the sky blue they used to be.

"Zeph! It's done! Just press the green button in the I/O tower!"

Zeph hurries over to the switches, but is bowled over by CLU, who has jumped onto his back. CLU desperately drags Zeph's stunned arm up towards the red declination button.

Zeph manages to shake CLU off, but the program jumps straight back onto him.

"Didn't they tell you? If you can't leave the grind before the timer ends, you'll be killed! And I'm not letting you leave this place!" CLU shouts, maddened by rage.

Zeph throws CLU across the I/O tower.

"CLU... I'm sorry..." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade and walking towards the downed program.

"How did you?" CLU exclaims, unable to move.

"I don't want to kill you, so don't make me, okay?" Zeph says, laying his Keyblade down next to CLU as a sign of peace. "The Grid was perfect as it was when Flynn created you- he just didn't see that, so you never saw it yourself. By letting me restore The Grid, you'll be completing your mission- your purpose, CLU." Zeph says, standing up and walking over to the buttons.

" _Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-_ "

"No!"

Zeph presses the button, then hears a clattering behind him. His Keyblade is lying on the ground, just a tiny distance away from him, but CLU has disappeared. So has Tron.

"Tron?" Zeph asks, stepping back from the buttons.

The ground shakes again.

"Grid restoration activated... All users, please evacuate immediately."

The shaking ground reveals a hand from behind the platform in the centre of the room.

"Tron!" Zeph shouts, running forward, and kneeling beside his friend. "What happened?"

"CLU... He tried to use your Keyblade on you... I... Got in the way and I derezzed him... but I think he hit me..." Tron says weakly. "It doesn't matter. You need to leave The Grid now, or you'll be killed. I'll be back once the restoration happens, so no loss here."

"Tron... Thanks so much..." Zeph says, casting a healing spell on Tron. "But don't worry- you're okay."

"Don't waste your time and energy healing me! _Get out of here_!" Tron shouts at Zeph, angrily.

"The doors are all gone, but it's lucky I don't need one. I'll be back- I promise."

"Zeph! I'm so sorry!" Sam's voice rings out through the speakers. "The Grid's collapsing, and it doesn't look like there's any way out! I'll try to pull you out here manually, but I'm not sure we have long enough."

"Sam! Don't worry! I'm fine. I can make my own way out. Just make sure nothing stops that restore! Goodbye!" Zeph says.

"Tron... You won't remember me, but I will see you again- you'll get to see Sora again, too. Just don't let Flynn make the same mistake again. Goodbye." Zeph says quietly.

Surprised that he isn't crying, Zeph closes his eyes, and lets the flow of his dream take him to the next sleeping world...

 **Chapter 6: Like Father Like Son**

watch?v=rQr4MCEPX74

Zeph feels his body come back together, and is instantly beset by a stench, and a moisture in the air.

"Oh... This is... Hello Monstro..." Zeph says, and releases a sigh that redoubles itself when he sees his outfit changing back it its original state. "You could've at least let me keep wearing that..." Zeph complains, wishing that he had more than a T-Shirt on his torso for his adventures inside the giant whale. A shuffling at the edge of his view alerts Zeph.

"Who's there?" He asks. No response.

Zeph slowly walks towards where the movement came from to see a Nightmare... Or is it? The little creature looks fretfully at Zeph- its colour scheme and emblem are different to those of Nightmares- this dream eater must be a Spirit.

"Hello there..." Zeph says, holding his hand out and going onto one knee.

The cat-dog creature shrinks back to begin with, but soon realises that Zeph is a friend.

"There you go... I'm not going to hurt you... My name's Zephyrus. What's yours?" Zeph asks. The creature makes a meow-like sound and jumps up at Zeph, licking his face.

"Thanks, I guess... Do you want to come with me?" Zeph asks the creature, noticing that on its little pink tail, there is a flower. The sight of this brings pain and tears, as Zeph remembers that repeating vision, the one that is so close to being revealed, but remains a mystery.

"Are you? No... You can't be..." Zeph wonders. The flowbermeow jumps up and licks the tears off Zeph's face, he carefully puts it on the floor next to him.

"Should we get going, then?" Zeph says, and the dream eater does a backflip for joy. Surely it can't recognise him from anywhere- these beings only exist in the sleeping worlds.

Zeph and his new companion start to walk walk towards the exit to the chamber they are currently in, but are soon beset by Nightmares.

"You're not alone anymore and neither am I. Let's do this!" Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade, his friend going into fighting stance, too. Zeph lunges forwards with his Keyblade, delivering a swift sweep, destroying three of the Nightmares at a time. Zeph's Spirit attacks with a smart tail spin attack before bouncing around, destroying four remaining Nightmares.

"You're really showing me up... What should I call you? How about... Patches... No- I'll call you Pat."

Pat bounces around happily accepting its new name, then walks off in a way that tell Zeph he ought to follow.

"You already know why I'm here, don't you?" Zeph asks, hurrying to catch up with his new friend.

Progress is relatively slow as they make their way towards the Keyhole, but before too long, Zeph and Pat reach Monstro's Mouth.

Pat runs around Zeph's feet, meowing at him.

"Yeah, we're nearly there, aren't we? Who's that?" Zeph asks, noticing an old man sitting on a chair in a ruined boat that has been made into a cabin. Zeph walks forwards a short way, then groans as he realises that he's going to have to swim to reach the man. Just as he steps down to the water edge, Zeph remembers the flowmotion he was able to do on The Grid. Sora and Riku seemed to be able to do that in the sleeping worlds easily. Zeph decides it's worth a try, and jumps into a wall, concentrating his energy on jumping. He feels himself become somewhat lighter, but cannot seem to manage to jump like Sora or Riku did. The experience does remind Zeph of the ability he gained on leaving Neverland, though, so he jumps as high as he can and tries to glide. Sure enough, whatever is left of the force that allowed Zeph to fly holds him in the air, and he is able to glide across the pool of saliva onto the ramp leading into the cabin. Pat reappears next to Zeph as he lands.

"E-excuse me, sir?" Zeph asks.

"Oh! Hello there! I didn't expect to see another person in this Gods forsaken place! You have one of those evil creatures with you? What do you want? Can you make them leave me alone."

"My name is Zephyrus- I am a Keyblade wielder. The Nightmares that have been attacking you are nothing to do with me. Pat here is a different type of dream eater- a Spirit, one of the nice ones. Don't worry- Pat won't hurt you and neither will I. I'm actually here to try to solve the Nightmare problem."

"You are? Well, thank you so much, Zephyrus. How do you intend to do that from inside a giant whale? My name is Gepetto, by the way."

"My first trick is probably going to end up being getting out of here... There's a keyhole I need to lock using my Keyblade, hopefully doing that will make Monstro spit us out. There's another one somewhere nearby, too."

"On land?"

"I think so..."

"But that means! You have to help me out of here! I might be able to find my dear Pinocchio!"

"I'll help you find Pinocchio, too. First I need to get us out of here though." Zeph says, nodding and smiling to Gepetto before turning around, jumping onto a floating barrel before gilding over to a flat part where Monstro's gums start to rise from the lake of saliva. Pat materialises next to Zeph and meows for joy. Zeph flourishes his Keyblade as the keyhole emerges, then he quickly locks the darkness away from Monstro.

Zeph jumps back towards Geppetto, but quickly realises something is wrong- Monstro is fading away. Zeph hurriedly jumps across to Geppetto, taking a hold of the man.

"What's going on?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Zeph says, jumping up in the direction he can sense the other keyhole and holding himself in the air as strongly as he can.

"How are you doing this?" Geppetto asks Zeph. Zeph gestures to show that he can't really speak right now.

After they have been floating for about thirty seconds, Monstro has completely disappeared. Zeph does his best to glide towards the nearby island, and they land in the sea just a short swim away from the beach.

"You okay?" Zeph asks Geppetto.

"I might be old, but I think I can swim that far..."

"Once we're on land, I owe you some answers." Zeph says, swimming ahead, creating a wake to help Geppetto swim with slightly less resistance from the water.

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Once they are on land, Zeph gathers a few sticks and lights a fire with his magic.

"So... Monstro just disappeared? What did you do, Zephyrus?"

"When I locked the darkness away from him, Monstro returned to the Lanes Between, where's he's supposed to be. He should've taken us with him, but I've not woken up, so we couldn't go."

"Not... Woken up? You're asleep? Is that why you can fly? You don't look it..."

"It's a _very_ long story, I don't mean to be rude, but would you mind me just... Not saying, because I've told it so much..."

"That is fine, so long as you bring back my Pinocchio, you needn't tell me too much about yourself."

"Thanks. I'll just say- I'm asleep, and I'm here because I need to wake up. This place is almost like a dream, but it's very real. I'm piecing my heart back together slowly, and saving these worlds from the darkness."

"I don't think I'd understand your story in full anyway. Basically, you're here to save these worlds from evil, and save yourself in the process?"

"Pretty much. This dream eater is Pat- it's my friend, you don't need to worry about it attacking you."

"Is it a him or a her? 'It' seems a little mean to the poor thing..."

"It is an _it_ Pat is just a figment of my dream, so it doesn't really have gender- none of the dream eaters do. I don't know, but somehow Pat feels like it might be more than a dream eater, that's just a feeling, doesn't matter really."

"Is there somebody who is very special to you in the real world? Somebody you lost, even?"

"I think..." Zeph says, wincing and brushing tears from his eyes as he remembers the tragic vision. "Y-yeah... There was somebody..."

"I am sorry for your loss. Perhaps Pat is formed from your memories of them? Perhaps their heart took refuge inside you and Pat is their heart. I feel that could be the case- this dream eater is too different from the rest. It feel much more like Pinnochio than some dog or cat..."

"Maybe you're right... Pat?" Zeph says, looking down to where the spirit was a moment ago. Pat isn't there, but a small charm Zeph has been carrying on him all this time is on the sand. Zeph reaches into the pouch that it was in- nothing. As Zeph picks it up, Pat jumps onto his back, meowing happily. Zeph only just manages to avoid a mouthful of sand as the dream eater's weight pushes his towards the sand.

"You *ahem* know, Geppetto, I think you may be right..."

"Pat... Did you give this to me? Please... What was your name?"

The spirit stares up obliviously at Zeph, then licks his face affectionately. Zeph's heart sinks as he decides the the creature isn't the girl who he lost, but he cheers up quickly as the love that Pat radiates fills his being.

"Anyway- we should keep moving." Zeph says, but realises Geppetto might have had enough action for one night. "How about I go find Pinocchio and bring him here? You wait for me."

"I think... I'd prefer to wait here, that swim really took it out of me..."

"Okay. Pat, you keep Geppetto safe. I'll be back as soon as I can be."

Zeph hurries off, still holding the charm... It began with an "M"... Right?

Zeph rushes down a long corridor with various attractions along the sides. He keeps thinking he sees movement in the shadows, but nothing gets in his way.

The end of the corridor brings Zeph to a large circular room filled with trampolines. At the very top, Zeph can make out a cage with something... Someone in it...

"Help me! Please!"

"Pinocchio! I'll help you down! Just... give me a minute!" Zeph shouts, running forwards into the netted area surrounded by the trampolines.

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Zeph has already summoned his Keyblade when the giant Nightmare appears. It takes the form of a lobster-like creature with an alternating orange and blue pattern all over its body, just like a circus tent. It is at the highest trampoline, so Zeph will have to bounce up to it. The nightmare starts raining down fire and ice magic as soon as Zeph starts moving. With his mind still primarily focused on remembering his friend's name, Zeph takes a few hit, bringing him back to the fight. Zeph blocks a fireball, then deflects an ice spear into another fireball, destroying both. He then quickly rushes towards the next trampoline up, hopping so that he lands right in the centre of the lower trampoline, jumping easily high enough to make it. Seeing Zeph approaching aggravates the Nightmare more, and it creates a fiery ring around the trampoline that Zeph is standing on, which slowly shrinks towards him. Zeph jumps over the attack, so the Nightmare follows up by raining down more projectiles and creating more rings of both fire and ice. Zeph jumps around, dodging the attacks as best he can and even reflecting a few of them back to their owner. Before too long, Zeph has taken a few more hits, but has enough momentum to jump up to the final trampoline. He launches himself upwards, Keyblade poised to strike his enemy. The Nightmare tries to dodge out of the way, but Zeph still manages to land a crushing blow, causing the thing to fall down onto the lowest trampoline. Zeph jumps down after it, throwing his Keyblade to deal a quick strike before bringing it back to his hand and driving it into the Nightmare's exposed underbelly. The creature disappears nearly instantly.

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"Help me, please!" Pinocchio shouts from his cage.

"On my way!"

Zeph bounces up to the highest trampoline and unlocks Pinocchio's cage. He then jumps up to help the puppet-boy down.

"Thank you so much, mister!"

"No problem- I'm going to take you back to your dad now, okay?"

"No! I don't want to go back!" Pinocchio says, and his nose grows.

"Umm... What's going on?"

"It's nothing! I promise you!" The puppet's nose grows again.

"Hey... You don't need to be scared- this place isn't safe, but I'm here to help. Your nose grows when you lie, right? So you do want to go back to your dad. It's fine to be afraid, just know that I won't let anything harm you. My name's Zephyrus, call me Zeph." Zeph holds out his hand to the little puppet.

"Please, Zeph... Bring me back to my dad! I don't like it here anymore!" Pinocchio says, jumping onto Zeph's back. Zeph jumps down carefully making sure Pinocchio doesn't fall off, then hurries back towards the beach.

"Here we go..." Zeph says, letting Pinocchio down when Geppetto comes into sight.

"D-dad? Daddy!" Pinocchio shouts, running towards his father. Zeph smiles, then turns towards the gate to the park, where the keyhole is.

As he locks the Keyhole and feels the familiar pull of a vision coming to him, Zeph remains in good spirits, knowing that he helped reunite father and son.

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Zeph's vision starts with that same distorted, dark image. He is walking through the tram common in Twilight Town, that's for sure. There's somebody of the same age as him walking along with him... It looks like a girl, but Zeph can't make out much in the haze... It began with an "M"- her name... She must be a girl, Zeph feels like they were, at least. As they walk, suddenly the ground shakes, and the pureblood heartless shadows appear all around them. Zeph tries to protect his friend as they strike, but they simply fade away between his fingers, and Zeph shouts something that can't be made out- that must have been her name, but what was it? Why can't he remember? Zeph curses himself- it's just like the girl Sora was mentioning- could the two sets of memories be clashing and cancelling each other out? Or is it just a coincidence?

The vision moves on to show Xion again. She is in Twilight Town alone. Suddenly, Roxas and Axel appear.

"You two... You think you're so special and that you can do whatever you want? Well I'm sick of it... Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!" Axel shouts, summoning his chakrams and attacking Xion. The vision then shows Roxas walking away from the castle in The World That Never Was. Roxas flickers between looking like himself, Xion and Zeph. Axel is leaning on a wall.

"Your mind's made up?" Axel asks

"Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know!" Roxas says.

"You can't turn on the organisation! Get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"

"No one would miss me..."

Roxas walks away from his friend.

"That's not true! ...I would..."

Zeph racks his brains, trying to think why he is appearing in the vision. What part of him was here? He isn't a Nobody... Right? Plus, he's never even seen Roxas. Before Zeph even left Twilight Town, Roxas had returned to Sora. Surely there's no connection...

Zeph sees Xion again, she is at the entrance to Beast's castle, and Riku looks to have just defeated her. He is holding her Keyblade.

"This Keyblade, it's worthless- it's a sham!"

The weapon flickers to looking like Zeph's Keyblade, then back to it original form.

"A puppet." Zeph hears a voice say, then the vision fades.

Zeph can feel that his Keyblade is in his hand.

"Zeph?" Aqua was just leaving the room. She walks over to him. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Please, don't get yourself hurt..."

With an enormous effort, Zeph manages to make his Keyblade disappear, and take a hold of Aqua's hand.

"Are you waking up?"

Zeph feels tears brimming in his eyes- he still can't speak. His lips part and he starts to taste the tears that are streaming down his face openly.

"Master Yen Sid! Zeph is moving!"

"Has he opened his eyes?"

"No..."

"He is still asleep, but is coming closer to waking."

"They never listen... Zeph... If you can hear me, summon your Keyblade."

Zeph can't manage to sustain it, but manages to make his Keyblade start to materialise.

"So you're conscious, but not awake... Zeph... That makes me so happy to know. I'm rooting for you."

"Aqua! Come here, I must speak to all of you." Yen Sid says, sounding a little impatient.

"Sorry master... It's just... He summoned his Keyblade..." Zeph hears Aqua rushing out.

"Sora... It is time for your true Mark of Mastery exam. The sleeping worlds you helped liberate are reappearing in The Lanes Between as Zephyrus closes the darkness holding them back. The task I give you is simple... You must simply make sure that everything is in order in each of the worlds. I will not take as large a risk as I did before, so I am sending you with Ventus and Riku. Aqua, Lea- you will remain here, making sure no harm comes to Zephyrus and continuing your training in Lea's case. Your Majesty, I shall not command you- feel free to act on your own volition. I do not know what to expect in these newly reborn worlds, so exercise extreme caution. Do not hesitate to return here if anything, and I mean _anything_ appears to be amiss."

Zeph hears everyone preparing to leave. Aqua comes back.

"Zeph... Whatever happens- you will be strong. We can see how far you've come... Four worlds, alone. It's been a long time, but I know you're almost there. Please, don't keep us waiting too much longer." Zeph feels her hand on his cheek again, and he does is best to bring a hand of his own to meet it, but isn't strong enough. Aqua notices the motion and clasps his hand with both of hers.

"An unbreakable connection." He thinks, pushing back the sadness that is flowing over him as his vision starts to return to him. Before his consciousness in the sleeping worlds has fully returned, he allows himself to be pulled into the next world.

 **Chapter 7: The Past's Tomorrow.**

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As Zeph appears in the next world... The penultimate world, he has trouble stopping himself crying.

"Where am I?" He wonders, looking around. He's in a small, round room with a staircase in the centre. There is a window on one side, so Zeph walks over and looks out.

"I'm in... A tower? Why did they build this?" Zeph thinks. "Oh well... Best get to work."

Zeph hurries down the stairs, and with only minimal Nightmare fighting, leaves the tower.

As soon as he's outside, Zeph hears a carriage approaching. There isn't really anywhere to hide, so Zeph vaults over the side of the bridge and hangs there.

"Now I've captured Princess Minnie, the Musketeers are sure to follow me. Then I can get rid of them once and for all. After that, this kingdom is sure to be mine!" Zeph hears a familiar voice saying- Pete.

"Mickey, Donald and Goofy will stop you, Pete! Just you wait! Then you're losing your job, that's for sure!" Zeph hears Minnie say.

"If I wanted you to speak, I'd speak to you! Shush, woman!"

Zeph jumps up behind the carriage.

"I think you should treat royalty a bit better than that, Pete. You're not going to get anywhere in that plan by my watch!" Zeph says.

" _What_! They're here already?" Pete says, jumping out of the carriage.

Zeph summons his Keyblade and points it at Pete.

"You let her go, _now_." Zeph threatens.

"And just who do you think you are? Raising weapons against the captain of the guard? I could have your head for that!"

"You'd have to catch me first. Now- let Minnie go and I won't need to hurt you."

"Ha! You think you can beat me with that... Thing? I'll have you know I'm the best swordsman in all of France!"

"Sure you are..."

Pete draws his sword, and Zeph rushes in, delivering a multitude of quick strikes. Pete manages to block all of them more by luck than judgement. Zeph jumps back from him.

"Hurry, team! It looks like Pete's got somebody else, too!" Zeph hears Mickey calling from behind him. Zeph turns around to see his old friends. Sure enough, Mickey, Donald and Goofy are riding on horseback towards them.

Suddenly, a piercing agony stabs through Zeph's back, and as he turns around he sees Pete laughing- there's blood on his sword. Zeph feels faint, and quickly falls into unconsciousness...

"Look! He's waking up!"

"Ouch..." Zeph mutters, rubbing his eyes.

"Wait! The princess! Mickey!" Zeph exclaims as he returns to his senses.

"Calm down... You're going to do yourself even more damage if you try to move now." Minnie says.

"Gawrsh, should've known Pete was gonna do this. But striking a man from behind? That really is low..." Goofy says.

"Minnie! You're okay!" Zeph is relieved.

"I am, thanks to you and the Musketeers' actions. Donald and Goofy managed to get us both away whilst Mickey was fighting Pete. However, Mickey was captured."

"Oh no! We have to help him!" Zeph says, trying to get up. Donald holds him down.

"Are you stupid? You're in no state to go and rescue him!" The duck says.

"I'm fine!" Zeph insists.

"Explain to us why you've been unconscious and bleeding for a week, then?"

"Okay... Look... I can heal myself."

"What do you mean?" Donald asks.

"If you promise you won't kill me, then I'll say."

"I promise." Minnie says, hands on her heart.

"I... Have magical powers... It's not too easy to explain. You saw my sword? It's called a Keyblade- they are weapons of great power capable of destroying any darkness. I can also heal people and stuff..." Zeph decides it's best not to mention his ability to shoot fireballs, cause lightning strikes and the like.

The party around Zeph's bed gasp and walk back a short way, none of them want to be near him.

"I mean you no harm... You shouldn't judge people based on what they can do, it's what they actually do that matters."

Donald has drawn his sword.

"Donald, stop! This man has only tried to help us. Just because he has magic doesn't mean he wants to use it for evil!" Minnie says.

"Thank you." Zeph says. "Heal!" Zeph casts curaga on himself, and instantly feels much better, clearly the people around him do too.

"What just happened? I feel much stronger..." Goofy says.

"The spell I just cast heals my friends too..." On the subject of his friends- where did Pat go? As if activated by this thought, the spirit appears beside Zeph.

"It's one of them! Quick! Minnie, get back!"

"Don't worry about Pat. It won't hurt any of you- it's my friend. Look closely- Pat is different from the Nightmares."

"I don't like this one bit!" Donald groans.

"You don't need to, Donald. Just, please, give me a chance."

"The princess clearly trusts you, so I do too!" Goofy says.

"Well, I don't! But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... This time..." Donald says.

"Thanks. Where's Mickey, then?"

"I'd bet my royalty that Pete has taken him to the dungeon in Mont Saint-Michel. That means we need to hurry! Mickey will down when the tide comes in! Pete probably has the only key, though..."

"I think I can help with that- this is a Keyblade, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"This thing can open any lock."

Donald looks very apprehensive of Zeph.

"Well, okay then! You should hurry! My carriage is already prepared. Just ask the driver to take you to Mont Saint-Michel, and he'll drop you by the shore." Minnie instructs them.

"Come on then! Let's get going!" Zeph says, beckoning to his new companions. Pat runs to heel, Goofy a short distance behind. Donald waits a few seconds, then finally makes his move to follow. The three get into the carriage, and they set off towards their friend.

"Oh! My name's Zephyrus by the way. Call me Zeph!" Zeph says as they set off.

Before long, the carriage stops, and Zeph's party are able to move on.

"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say we've got about two hours tops before high tide." Goofy says.

"Then we'd better hurry, c'mon guys!" Zeph says, running ahead.

Nightmares appear, so Zeph's companions ready their weapons.

"There's no time! Doubtless the Nightmares will leave us alone if we just rush past!" Zeph says, throwing his Keyblade at the group of enemies, then using his wind magic to divert its course into even more Nightmares. Pat attacks the Nightmares close up, holding them back. Donald and Goofy start to fight, but quickly decide that Zeph is right- the Nightmare issue can be solved afterwards, but if Mickey dies, that's it.

They soon reach a small rowing boat.

"That boat's the only way to Mont Saint-Michel! Let's hurry!" Donald shouts.

The three hop into the boat. Donald and Goofy grab oars, while Zeph uses a powerful gust to propel the boat skimming across the water, and also destroying a few of the Nightmares on the shore.

The journey across the water takes the best part of half an hour because of the storminess of the water. This leaves precious little time to get to Mickey and go through whatever resistance is put up.

"Where to now?" Zeph asks.

"Follow us, Zeph!" Goofy says, running ahead with Donald.

Zeph starts to follow, but Nightmares appear, splitting them apart.

"You go find Mickey! I'll be fine!" Zeph shouts.

Zeph's two companions hurry off towards the largest building on the island.

"Okay then, so you want Mickey dead, too? That's not very nice, you know." Zeph says to the Nightmares before striking three of them down using this Keyblade and launching fireballs at three more. Pat takes down the other two Nightmares, so the path is clear, but Zeph is behind.

"Let's just hope the Nightmares ignore them in favour of fighting back the Keyblade, huh?" Zeph says to Pat, then he hurries off after his friends.

With many more hold-ups, Zeph eventually catches up to his friends at the entrance to the dungeon cell where Mickey is being held.

"I'll go get him- it's my fault he's here." Zeph says, using his Keyblade to unlock the trapdoor.

"You sure? It wasn't your fault really..." Goofy says.

"I think my clothes will dry off faster than yours, so yeah. I'll go- no worries. Plus, there's something I need down there." Zeph says, hurrying down the ladder.

The Cell by now is up to Mickey's neck with water, Zeph hurries over to grab him, but hesitates when he hears fighting above.

"Now I've got all three of you right here! You're all stupid! This was all a part of my master plan!"

"Oh no..." Mickey says- he is facing away from Zeph, so doesn't know Zeph is there.

"They might've been, but I'm not. Zeph says, unlocking Mickey's restraints. There you are, your majesty." Zeph says, cringing when he realises the treasonous words he spoke.

"Thank you... Oh! It's you! You did a brave thing back there. Thank you. We couldn't have saved the princess without you." Thankfully Mickey doesn't notice Zeph's mispeach. Zeph lifts Mickey onto the ladder.

"There's something I need to do in here, I'll be out there as soon as I can." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade. Mickey nods and climbs up as quietly as he can.

Zeph locks the keyhole and pushes back the vision- to collapse here would be certain death. It takes an intense concentration, but Zeph manages to prevent the vision from happening at all. This does, however mean that the fragment of his heart he collected cannot be fully absorbed. As he does this, Zeph wonders why he didn't have a vision on The Grid. Zeph then realises that he needs to be out there to help his friends, so he climbs up the ladder and leaves the cell.

Mickey has pressed himself against the wall and is peeking around it. Pete is at the end of the corridor, dragging Donald and Goofy away.

"Don't worry- I'll deal with him." Zeph says, realising Mickey doesn't have his sword anymore.

"I'm coming with you! I'm sure I'll find a way to help you." Mickey insists.

"Okay- well, let's hurry!" Zeph says, helping the waterlogged mouse along.

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Pete throws Goofy and Donald into two different cells, then walks through to the foyer, where Zeph makes his move.

"Pete! Your plan ends here!" Mickey shouts.

"WHAT?" Pete exclaims turning around. "No! How? Why aren't you two dead?"

"Because we've not put a stop to you yet." Zeph says.

"Fine then! I'll just beat you again!"

Pat appears next to Mickey, protecting Zeph's defenseless friend.

"More confident now than you were before. Did nobody teach you that it's dishonourable to stab a man in the back?" Zeph taunts, summoning his Keyblade and going into stance.

Pete makes a move for Mickey, but Pat stops him.

"That's right- I've got those creatures on my side, Pete! You'll not get at Mickey without going through me first!" Zeph lies.

Pete growls, turning and brandishing his sword at Zeph.

Pete then rushes forwards, swinging his sword like lightning. Zeph quickly dodges to the side, not wanting a repeat of The Land Of Dragons.

Pete then moves in again, delivering a swift set of stabs, which Zeph dodges again.

"Are you going to fight me, or are you just going to keep avoiding me?" Pete shouts at Zeph with rage.

"Are you going to hit me?" Zeph taunts, parrying Pete's next attack, striking in the opening. "Or are you just going to keep flailing around like the moron you are?"

Pete jumps back with anger, throwing his sword at Zeph and cracking his knuckles.

"I never did like sword fighting anyway!" Pete says, charging forwards with a devastating punch that sends Zeph sprawling.

"No!" Mickey shouts, running forwards and picking Pete's sword off of the ground.

"Leave him alone! This fight is between us!" Mickey says. Pat hurries over to Zeph's side, trying to nurse him back to standing condition.

Pete laughs, running at Mickey. Pete punches, but his hand meets the point of a rapier.

"Ouch!" Pete exclaims.

"My friend might not have wanted to do you lasting damage, but I have a license to kill you if need be!"

"Yeah... Given by me!" Pete scoffs.

Zeph manages to sit up after a few more minutes' fighting.

"Mickey! You can't kill him!" Zeph shouts. "You... Umm... Need to prove you're a better man!" Thinking quickly- Zeph can't let the future change, but he can't explain that.

Mickey runs in for an attack, but Pete swats away his sword and picks the mouse up.

"Ha! I've got you know!" Pete says.

Zeph sneaks up slowly.

"You've failed! I'm good as king now, and you're good as dead! The three musketeers just got taken down!" Pete says, starting to squeeze the air out of Mickey's lungs.

Zeph re-summons his Keyblade and jumps up, smacking Pete on the back of the head with the handle, knocking him unconscious.

"There we go!" Zeph says helping Mickey out of Pete's grasp.

"Was that true?" Mickey asks.

"Was what true?"

"That you've been controlling those creatures that have been attacking innocent people!" Mickey says, picking the sword back up and pointing it at Zeph.

"No... No it wasn't. Pat here isn't one of them, and I don't control the Nightmares. That was just to protect you. Dream eaters come in two types- Spirits and Nightmares. Nightmares are the evil ones- I don't control them. Pat is a Spirit- a nice one, who I can control."

Mickey looks at Zeph uneasily.

"Okay... You've helped us out enough that I believe you... What's your name?"

"Name's Zephyrus. Call me Zeph!"

Donald and Goofy burst through into the room.

"We're here! Pete should have known better than to leave us with our swords! Oh..." Donald shouts.

"Don't worry. Pete was no match for Zeph!"

"Thanks guys... But I do need to be going..." Zeph says.

The three musketeers raise their swords above their heads in a circle, and beckon Zeph to join them.

"All for one and one for all!" They shout in unison.

Zeph says his goodbyes, then hurries off, letting the flow of the dream take him to the final sleeping world with a dark keyhole in it- and the final piece of his heart.

The World That Never Was...

 **Chapter 8: Answers**

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As soon as Zeph appears in the new world, the vision he was pushing back forces its way into his mind.

The vision starts by depicting Riku and Roxas facing off. Roxas is holding two Keyblades- one on the form of the Oathkeeper, the other, the Oblivion. Roxas throws the Oblivion at Riku, who catches it, then the fight starts for real.

They dispatch a few Neoshadows around them before battling it out. Riku is at a clear disadvantage for the entire time, but manages to hold on for a good duration. Eventually, however, Roxas knocks Riku down.

"Why... Why do you wield the Keyblade?" Riku asks.

"Shut up!" Roxas says, raising the Oathkeeper to deal the final blow.

Riku parries the blow at the last second, knocking Roxas over.

Riku pushes the advantage for a short time, but Roxas soon has both Keyblades again.

"It seems I must release the darkness in my heart... Even if it changes me forever!" Riku says, taking his blindfold off and being surrounded by a surging darkness.

Roxas readies himself for a tough battle, and jumps in to strike when Riku emerges, but a dark hand grabs a hold of him. Ansem's dark guardian seems to be under Riku's control. Roxas slowly suffocates in the Heartless's grasp, and is soon unconscious. Riku puts up his hood to hide the face that isn't his own. DiZ then appears next to Riku, and they take Roxas away.

The vision then shows Roxas in the simulated Twilight Town, but Zeph notices something strange about it... Somebody is speaking, but not in the vision- they're speaking to Zeph in his heart.

"A beautiful recreation." the voice says.

"Hello?" Zeph thinks, hoping the voice will hear him.

"I've finally reached you. I only wished I could have done so before I died..."

"Ansem the wise?"

"That is what some call me. You have forgotten, have you not?"

"I've forgotten a lot, yeah..."

"I cannot blame you- I treated you poorly."

"What do you mean?"

"Zephyrus... Your father was never with you when you were young, he was always busy with other things..."

"How do you know this? Why are you telling me?"

"Because I can reach you now, and I feel that I should apologise."

"You don't mean?"

"That is correct- Zeph, you are my son."

"Wow... I'm sorry I forgot about you..."

"That is not your fault. You fell asleep too soon."

"You know about that? I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be! Zeph, your heart was never quite right from the moment you were born. It was Xehanort's doing, but still my fault. He experimented on your mother whilst she was pregnant, to see about how it affected her heart, and where yours came from. We thought it would be harmless, so we let him. Everything went fine, until we noticed a strange anomaly, which we investigated and even tried to correct. Whether it was Xehanort who created the anomaly, I do not know, but this was the biggest mistake we could have ever made..."

"What do you mean?"

"The anomaly, I know now, was your Keyblade. In trying to fix it, we damaged your heart irreversibly, but we didn't know at the time how badly. We did our best to fix it, but we could not. Then, shortly afterwards, Xehanort betrayed me, killing your mother only weeks after your birth. Despite the issues we had spotted- you were a very healthy baby, so I gave you to the family you lived with in Twilight Town, telling them that I would come for you in a few years and try to fix you."

"What happened next?"

"Ten years pass- I still haven't found Xehanort or the way to fix you, but I think I've found a way to help. I took you away from Twilight Town and did my best to fix you. While doing so, I also took your memories of Twilight Town and used them to build a virtual space... The virtual space you see Roxas suffering in now. My attempts to correct your damaged heart were not entirely successful, but I did manage to remove the anomaly, at least. I knew what would happen then. Your heart would slowly fall to pieces, you would fall to sleep irreversibly in a few years' time. I took you back to your family, telling them what was going to happen. During the time you were away, the Heartless had taken your adopting father, so the news was especially stinging. You adopted mother was strong, however. She knew what would happen and not to worry if you disappeared after going to sleep. I only wish I could have known... In trying to remove that anomaly, I changed it... Tied it deeply into the rest of your heart. This meant that, rather than living to the age of twenty or so, you would have lived until the moment you first used the Keyblade, at which point your heart would become incredibly fragile and the slightest bump, so to speak, would tear it to pieces."

"I see... You tried, at least. Thanks, dad..."

"The most peculiar effect on you was the way you seemed to gain the memories of others. I was told about this, but they said it seemed to go away when I brought you back the second time. This was because I'd attached that strange ability to that anomaly in your heart. The Keyblade made your heart resonate with those anomalies of the same type. Your heart gained the memories of others with a Keyblade of light- the same anomaly, however, their heart must be living to resonate. This is why you have the memories of Sora, Ventus, Aqua, Terra and Roxas, but not those of Mickey, Riku or Xehanort. I do not know this for certain- it is only speculation, but I feel that it is the only thing that makes sense. I cannot say why you have a few memories of those whose hearts are no longer active, and are without those of more recent Keyblade wielders. Perhaps the nature of the anomaly changes if you gain the gift slightly later on? We may never know..."

Zeph can feel himself returning to the sleeping worlds, and tries to keep himself in the vision state.

"I was a terrible father to you, Zephyrus- I cannot be sorry enough."

"Don't say that! You might have done some bad things... Things that really damaged me, but you enabled me to be a part of the bigger picture. Without your experiments, I would never have been able to get to this point. So what if I've gone through some tough times? So what if I could have had a better life? I'm happy with who I am now, no matter what. Don't apologise to me, father."

"You are too kind. Perhaps you are right. In any case- you are a much better person now than if you had remained in my care your whole life."

"Don't be so hard on yourself! What Xehanort did... It would make anybody mad- revenge might not be the true path, but in your circumstance, everyone would've done it."

"Perhaps you are right. Anyway, you had better go back to waking up. You're almost as bad as Sora!"

"Hey! I won't _ever_ be as bad as Sora!"

Ansem laughs. "Maybe not, but a close second. Goodbye, my son- I hope not to see you for a long time yet. Xehanort knows your heart better than any man alive- whatever he did back then he might be able to call upon now, so be extremely careful."

"I'll do my best. See you later..." Zeph says, and as he does, the vision shows Sora waking up from his sleep in Twilight Town, fading away.

Zeph can hear movement nearby.

"Come on, Zeph! You're so close! Sorry Ven is gone, so I'm the only one left who still seems to care, but it looks like that's the way it has to be."

"I..." Zeph just about manages to start speaking, using almost all of his energy.

"Oh! You're doing that semi-conscious thing again. Well, we made you a set of Keyblade armour that's actually yours now. How you could use Ven's Keyblade armour's shadow, I'm not sure. Again, though, we'll have to wait for that. You've grown quite a bit, actually, so you're going to need some entirely new clothes as soon as we can get you up."

"H..." Zeph tries to ask how long he's been asleep.

"Not going to tell you that until you're awake, so there! I'm getting really sick of this now- please wake up..." Zeph can hear that Aqua is about to cry, and reaches up to her. She takes his hand.

"You can do it, Zeph- I trust you. Sora, Ven and Riku are looking at the worlds you're freeing, and they seem to be fairly clear. I feel like something terrible is about to happen, though..."

Zeph summons his Keyblade to show her that he's happy to help.

"I'm glad. Just... Don't you dare let the darkness swallow you up now, okay? You're too close to fall now."

Zeph hopes with all his heart that he doesn't fail now, too. Not for his sake, but for his friends and his newly discovered father.

"I... Promise... I'll try..." Zeph says, using the last of his energy, and being dragged back to the sleeping worlds once again.

 **Chapter 9: The Trials' Beginning**

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Zeph gets up and looks around. The world seems to be in a form a little different to how he remembers it. Zeph is on the Avenue To Dreams, but it looks like he can easily access a castle from the end. Without hesitating, despite the dire news, Zeph moves on.

The image of Roxas dual wielding Keyblades remains stuck in Zeph's mind whilst he walks along.

"Laz... Can you hear me?" Zeph asks. He feels something, despite the lack of response.

"Do you mind if I use your key one last time?" Zeph feels like he should ask, even though he's sure his friend wouldn't mind. Nightmares of all shapes appear around Zeph as he reaches the foot of Memory's Skyscraper- dragons, aura wielding tigers, skeletal dinosaurs and magical rabbits. Zeph can't help but marvel at the variety in the dream eaters, it's almost a shame that they're his enemies. Pat appears next to Zeph as he summons his two Keyblades and tries to put on his Keyblade armour. Strangely, the latter fails to appear.

"Oh well- Aqua's got me new digs anyway, just more incentive to wake up." Zeph thinks before unleashing a flurry of attacks. None of the Nightmares stood a chance. Zeph hurries on, hoping to whatever forces there are that Xehanort doesn't try to stop him from waking up with a heart of darkness.

Zeph doesn't stop running for the rest of the journey to the castle, striking down Nightmares without slowing. He has but one focus now- getting to that Keyhole before Xehanort realises that he's here.

Within minutes, Zeph has reached the foot of the castle and sets off, not sure what to expect within. The interior seems to bare little difference in design to the real version of this world, but the layout is certainly new. Zeph tries to get his bearings in the room- there looks like there is a staircase that he can somehow activate in the centre of the room. Zeph rushes off to one of the two side rooms as quickly as he can.

Zeph walks through a corridor and emerges into a maze.

"Really? _Really_?" Zeph asks under his breath, hitting one of the walls in agitation.

Pat hurries off, beckoning that they should split up to find the correct way as soon as possible. Zeph takes a few turns, but soon reaches a dead end, and a few Nightmares appear to slow him down.

"If I have to fight here as well, I'm sure to forget where I've been!" Zeph thinks, starting to become genuinely worried.

Pat meows loudly, so Zeph makes his way towards the sound, reuniting with his friend. The Spirit walks off, taking Zeph quickly to the centre of the maze. Zeph presses a button on the machine in the centre, which makes the walls in the maze become transparent. He can now see a second machine on the side of the room opposite to the entrance. Pat runs off, and Zeph does too, searching for the way.

Eventually, after a long time going in circles, Zeph finds the machine. Pat reappears next to him as he activates the machine. The walls of the maze sink into the floor, and a green light appears above the corridor Zeph came into the room from. Zeph runs back to the central room. About a quarter of the staircase has appeared at a level too high for Zeph to reach. He goes into the second side room.

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Zeph emerges into a huge round room. Machines attached to the roof activate and absorb some force from Zeph. Suddenly, Nightmares, Heartless and Nobodies of every type he has ever fought appear all over the room. Zeph grits his teeth, summoning his Keyblades.

"This doesn't look like it's going to be easy, Pat!" He says.

The Flowbermeow growls an agreement, then the two charge at their nearest foes. Zeph throws Laz's Keyblade at a group of Nobody Dusks, while striking down four Heartless Shadows in one sweep of his own Keyblade. Pat focuses on the bird-shaped Nightmares, taking them down before they have a chance to shoot Zeph with their various ranged attacks.

Zeph spins around, hitting some Soldiers backhand with his Keyblade, before throwing the weapon to circle around him, striking down Unversed Floods, then bouncing off the resistant front half of a Large Body. Zeph re-summons both his Keyblade, then charges at the Heartless, jumping over them, then attacking with a devastating flurry, defeating all three of them before they can even turn to face him. Pat has now dealt with all the grounded Nightmares and Unversed that Zeph hadn't, but is having trouble reaching the various types of flying Heartless. Zeph casts spells of the opposite element to each of the magic wielding ones, destroying them quickly and efficiently. Now the only enemies left are the Air Pirates from Neverland. Zeph jumps up, striking them down.

With the enemies defeated, Zeph sits down to catch his breath.

He jumps when he sees the light above the exit turning on. Pat casts Curaga on Zeph, revitalising him.

"Thanks- since when could you do that?" Zeph says, petting the doggish-cat thing who has helped him so much in their short time together. After this short rest, however, they hurry back to the central room where they are assembling the staircase.

They can now reach halfway up the tower on the newly appeared staircase. The top of the incomplete structure is a landing with another side room coming off it. Zeph warily moves into the room, not sure what to expect.

The room he emerges into is a long hall that looks like it could be a dining area, but there isn't a table. Zeph notices a large mirror at the end of the room, so he walks over to it. There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but how can he progress if there's nothing to do in this room? He turns around to leave, but decides it would be worth touching the mirror to see what happens. The moment his fingers make contact with the surface, something about his reflection changes. Zeph paces back slowly, but his reflection walks forwards. Zeph summons his Keyblades and gets ready to fight the reflection, which has changed to a colour scheme akin to a Heartless. It raises its arm to point at Zeph, then Laz's Keyblade moves into its hand. Zeph goes back to his usual stance, readying himself for a difficult fight.

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"Your heart shall be judged..." The apparition says.

"If that's how it's going to be, so be it. I'm not leaving you until you give me back that Keyblade." Zeph threatens. His foe simply laughs in a chilling manner.

Zeph stands his ground, noticing that Pat hasn't been able to enter this room.

"Your final test. Then, when you succeed, you will be ready." Zeph's dark reflection says.

"What do you mean? What test? What am I being ready for? Whose side are you on?"

"You could say I'm on your side... I wish for you to lock the final Keyhole and retrieve the final piece of your heart."

"That can't be the whole story! Tell me what you mean!" Zeph shouts, running forwards and attacking his adversary.

Zeph brings his Keyblade down hard, and the apparition blocks it. Because of the lightning bolt shape of Laz's Keyblade Zeph staggers forwards, then their Keyblades lock together in a dangerous clash. However hard Zeph tries to push against his enemy, it seems to be able to reciprocate that exactly- it must know what Zeph is thinking, and be about as strong as he is.

"What's wrong? Can't beat yourself up?" The shadowy replica says.

Zeph grits his teeth, pushes hard against his enemy, then instantly pulls his Keyblade free, performings a spinning slash. Zeph's Keyblade cleaves straight through, leaving him unsure whether or not it did any damage at all. The apparition laughs, slowly walking forwards.

"Fire!" Zeph shouts, casting a powerful spell at his enemy. It connects, but the shadowy form simply comes back together immediately after being torn apart.

"The darkness is too strong- look how much power you could have, Zeph. We could be invincible!"

"There is no 'we'... Now- get out of my head!" Zeph says, concentrating all of his mind on forgetting about the enemy he is fighting. This has a profound effect.

"No! Don't! You can't do this!" The creature is saying- it sends a shiver down his spine, hearing his own voice suffering. This makes Zeph lose his concentration, allowing the apparition to restore itself.

"Don't you see, Zeph? Without the darkness, you're nothing! Please, don't put me to shame!"

"I don't need the darkness! You're nothing like me!" Zeph says, with a swipe of his hand. "Maybe... Maybe we aren't as strong individually as the darkness, but that's not important! Each and every one of my friends is part of the bigger picture! That bigger picture doesn't contain you, it contains me! For my friends, _I will defeat you!_ " Zeph charges at his adversary, locking his Keyblade into Laz's, before rotating his own and pulling both free from his enemy with a powerful backflip. Zeph then catches his old friend's Keyblade and readies both that and his own.

"Light!" Zeph shouts, spinning the two Keyblades together. They start to glow, then a massive beam of energy blasts out, eradicating the shadowy form of Zeph.

"You can make an exact duplicate of a person in body, and even in mind... But you can't duplicate a heart." Zeph says, walking back onto the landing, then up the complete staircase.

Once he has finally reached the top, Zeph decides a short rest is in order. Who knows what will happen at the final keyhole?

Zeph sits down with Pat next to him.

"What do you think, Pat? Will we manage to wake up?"

The flowbermeow licks Zeph cheerfully.

"Yeah... I hope so too." Zeph says, taking the charm that his friend gave him. "I'm coming soon- just hold on a little longer." He mutters before resting for a few more minutes. Finally, Zeph gets up and walks up the final flight of steps, not knowing what awaits him...

 **Chapter 10: A Chilling Conclusion**

(No music intended)

As Zeph reaches the top of the tower, there is nothing standing between him and the keyhole, so he closes it. Suddenly, he hears a clapping noise from behind him.

"Very, very well done, Zephyrus! You've passed with flying colours, now just let yourself drift asleep, so your heart can reassemble itself."

"Xehanort!" Zeph shouts, turning around. "What do you want with me?"

"Is it not clear? You are by far the most powerful Keyblade wielder alive right now- the perfect contender for my 13th darkness. Plus, I've got you right where I want you."

"I won't let you do this!"

"Oh, but I think you'll find you can't stop me. You have two choices now... Refuse to fight, but I will simply strike you down to the point you must fall unconscious. Or you could fight me, but then, whether or not you win, you'll tire yourself out. Face it Zephyrus- you've lost."

"I... Might not be able to win, but I can at least buy some time."

"You think your friends can save you? No, Zeph- everything is set, right down to the fact your heart contains the anomaly that I need only fill with darkness to control your every action."

"You don't even need to replace my heart?"

"No! That's the beauty of this. You even did the hard part yourself, what with saving Ventus. So what will it be?"

"Firstly... You aren't allowed to call me Zeph, and secondly... Even if _I_ can't stop you, I'm sure my friends will find a way..." Zeph says, summoning his Keyblade and going into stance.

"That is your answer...? Then so be it!" Xehanort says, his eyes flashing yellow, and darkness surging around his body as his Keyblade appears.

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"Time has already been written... A husk to serve its master." Xehanort says, as a dark vortex swirls around him and his foe. "There will be no escape."

Zeph rushes forwards, as if to strike, but instead jumps, kicking Xehanort in the face, then performing a graceful backflip as Pat runs in, taking out Xehanort's legs. Zeph raises his Keyblade to strike, but something feels very strange for a moment, then Xehanort suddenly appears next to him. Zeph doesn't have time to dodge and receives a devastating set of blows- ars solum.

"Well... Maybe 'by far the most' was slightly exaggerating- you're still no match for me."

"Shut... Up..." Zeph says, pulling himself upright, leaning on his Keyblade.

"What was that?"

"I said 'shut up!' Xehanort... You've damaged so many people... I might never have known my parents, but it's still a direct result of your actions that they were lost... I won't ever forgive you for what you've done to my friends and my family!"

"Getting a little angry, are we?"

"You're not going to corrupt me with your words! I know what you did to Terra, but it won't work on me! Now, get out of my heart!" Zeph says, rushing forwards again, summoning Laz's Keyblade into his left had to complement his own. Zeph hits Xehanort like a lightning bolt, striking once with both Keyblades, then again, and again. Xehanort can hardly maintain his block against Zeph's savage attack, but Zeph's enemy has a plan...

Zeph brings down his Keyblades again, when suddenly darkness erupts forth from Xehanort's hands, sending Zeph flying back, stunned.

"Yes! Let it wash over you! Feel its power... Let it... take control..."

Zeph throws Laz's Keyblade at Xehanort, deciding that he needs to use his most practised style to defeat this enemy.

"I... Can't..." Zeph breathes.

"Yes! Let it make you strong again!" Xehanort says, walking towards Zeph, holding out his hand.

"Maybe... It's the only way..." Zeph says.

"It is! Why do your friends matter? What's truly important is that _you_ survive!" Xehanort is almost upon Zeph now, his arm outstretched as if to help Zeph up.

"Good...Idea..." Zeph says, reaching for Xehanort's hand.

Both Keyblade wielders have been thinking the same thing, and Xehanort raises his arm, summoning his Keyblade, while Zeph summons his own, pushing off of the ground, striking with all his strength. Xehanort stops moving, Zeph is standing behind him, panting, Keyblade outstretched.

"How... Foolish of me... To trust you."

"Don't pretend you're hurt!"

"Oh, but Zephyrus- I am... Very badly." Xehanort says, clutching roughly where Zeph cut him and falling to one knee.

"You're not a very good liar."

"Perhaps you're just good at reading people..." Suddenly, Xehanort turns around, blasting Zeph with a volley of dark particles.

Zeph is bowled over backwards and left with the darkness seeping all over his body, eating away at his strength.

"Fine then... It's a risk I have to take..." Zeph says. "My heart might become more vulnerable, but if I lose here, then that doesn't matter." Closing his eyes, Zeph concentrates, pulling the shards of his heart together.

Suddenly, that same light power from Traverse Town surges through Zeph, dispelling the darkness instantly.

"Xehanort!" Zeph shouts. " _Vanish!_ " He charges forwards, cloaked in a bright aura, summoning Laz's Keyblade again.

Xehanort laughs, but is quickly silenced as Zeph's Keyblades come close to his face, taking some hair off. As their Keyblades lock together, Xehanort smiles at Zeph.

"Good to know you've decided to help me in the end." Xehanort says, pressing hard against Zeph, who takes the entire force with Laz's Keyblade in his left hand. Suddenly, Zeph makes that Keyblade disappear, causing Xehanort to fall over forwards. Zeph quickly strikes twice with his Keyblade before re-summoning Laz's, then hitting more.

Pressing the advantage, Zeph continues to confuse Xehanort by fighting with a mixture of all of the styles Zeph has used over his journeys.

"Now... Get out!" Zeph says, delivering a spinning, jumping uppercut which sends Xehanort flying back off the tower they were fighting on, fading gradually away into a dark mist. Zeph sighs and sits down.

"Pat?" Zeph asks, looking around for his friend- Pat had been there next to Zeph as the fight begun, so where has the Spirit gone?

As he calls the name, Zeph feel something reverberate inside him.

"Oh..." Zeph starts to say, but is overcome by an incredible fatigue- he falls asleep instantly...

 **Chapter 11: Darkness Lifted**

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Zeph wakes up on the glass mural he now knows well to be his heart. Darkness is swirling around, but it doesn't seem to have actually changed anything yet.

Zeph looks up to see a dark form, it resembles something like a Nobody... No- a Heartless. It seems to be both a Heartless and a Nobody, it even seems to have something of Pat about it.

"So you were here all along- thanks so much. Don't worry about me- I definitely won't go easy." Zeph says to the corrupted form.

A huge scythe appears in the creature's hands, and the emblem on it lights up- sure enough, it bears an emblem combining that of the Nobodies and Heartless. The emblem flares and the Nightmare's symbol superposes over the top and the creature becomes more floral in form.

It pains Zeph to know that he'll be destroying his friend who sacrificed what little was left of her to protect him, but he knows that it's the only way to wake up. The only way to make things right.

Zeph runs forwards, bringing his Keyblade down on the enemy- something so close to being human, but still deprived of true existence. The scythe-wielding foe blocks the strike, pushing Zeph back. It points at Zeph, and suddenly a strange flowery mass starts growing all over him. Zeph feels strongly that somewhere deep within him, from Sora's memories... There was a scythe-wielding enemy who used plant-based attacks, wasn't there?

Suddenly, the scythe comes down on Zeph with a huge power. Zeph is knocked down and seriously hurt.

"Heal!" He says, casting his healing spell. He feels a bit better, but with that thought nagging away at him, the fight could be difficult, so Zeph does his best to suppress it.

Zeph starts by hanging back, taking his opponent's actions in. Nobodies and Heartless always seem to have a few specific techniques they tend to use when they aren't reacting to the actions of somebody else. The Deprived being, however, only stares back at Zeph with its empty eyes- this being truly has intelligence.

"If that's how you're going to play, then I guess I'll have to start." Zeph says, and feints forwards, Keyblade poised to strike. His enemy moves to block it, but doesn't seem to understand Zeph's bluff, so he is able to get a few blows in around the creature's guard.

The moment it is able, Zeph's foe sends him flying back with a whirlwind, nearly knocking Zeph clear of the platform they're fighting on. It swings its scythe around its head, going into a whirling dervish of attacks, gliding towards Zeph, who pulls himself upright and just about dodges. Once the spinning stops, the creature seems to have a lot of effort bringing the scythe back up, so Zeph takes the opportunity to run forwards, kicking up off of the scythe, and strike hard down with his Keyblade.

The creature staggers back with a screech, clearly damaged by the attack. The screech echoes through Zeph's mind, gradually sounding more and more human... Like a young girl... Calling for help... Calling... For him. A huge onset of sorrow and guilt overtakes Zeph's mind and he is temporarily unable to see anything the way he should.

"No! I won't! Please! I'm a failure... I can't help anybody... No use at all." Zeph says, collapsing and dropping his Keyblade. "At least... I can't fail anybody anymore... Ven should never have helped me."

All the while, Zeph's foe has been recuperating. It has now retrieved its weapon and is moving towards the crestfallen Keyblade wielder.

"It's hopeless! All of it!" Zeph shouts, tears flowing openly down his face.

The deprived creature raises its weapon high above its head, ready to bring it down.

"Almost as hopeless as _YOU!_ " At the last moment, Zeph's sanity is restored as he remembers how he did save Aqua and Ventus- he can feel them rooting for him. Zeph parries the attack and strikes with all his strength, sending his enemy flying across the platform, leaving its scythe stuck in the ground next to Zeph. The flowers growing on Zeph's body stop constricting him and fall away.

"Whatever you are, it isn't her any longer! So don't try to corrupt me!" Zeph shouts, pulling the scythe out of the ground, charging forwards with both his Keyblade and the scythe. Zeph hits the creature with a savage set of blows, whirling the two weapons around, juggling his enemy into the air. Zeph then hits it away and throws the scythe into where its heart would be.

The blade sinks deep into the creature, through which cracks quickly propagate and start to glow.

Panting, Zeph lands again, shielding his eyes as the strange being explodes is a huge flash of light.

watch?v=NWdooFMUDL4

When the flash clears, Zeph looks around, and sees a young woman who is about his age. She is not truly real, but only an idea, and quickly disappears. Zeph's Keyblade forces its way into his hand and starts to glow. Suddenly it changes, its reach increasing and the power it emanates suddenly feels complete- The Sleeping Heart, finally awakened. The moment this happens, Zeph can suddenly remember that which has been hurting him for so long, and as he feels himself gradually returning to true consciousness, he clutches the old charm to his chest.

"Don't worry, I'm coming May."

End of part 2- thanks so much for reading!

 **The Final Chapter Yet Awaits...**


	3. Part 3 (WIP)

**The Faded Gale Part 3**

 **(This is very much WIP, but I decided to upload it now because I've not updated tFG in ages)**

 **Introduction: Wakefulness**

watch?v=x6bWTL6_QVE

As Zeph's vision fades from the glass mural of his heart, at the same time it moves onto his real eyes. Zeph is in the side-room of the tower, lying on a very comfortable bed.

"Looks like I got lucky..." Zeph thinks- nobody else got a bed when they were asleep.

Shakily, Zeph stands up, looking down at himself reveals not only that he is a fair amount taller, but that he has lost considerable muscle mass.

"Well... I guess that was bound to happen- hopefully I won't be too much weaker."

Zeph starts walking over to the door, but collapses part way there.

"What was that?" A voice calls out from the main room.

"Zeph probably knocked something over- he seems to be moving about a lot more recently- I'll go check on him." Aqua says. Zeph seems to have lost his ability to recognise anybody's voice other than Aqua's and Ventus's.

The door opens and Aqua is visibly shocked when Zeph is not in his bed.

"Zeph? Are you okay? Where did you go?" Aqua calls out.

"D-" Zeph says, his voice interrupted by a cough, "Don't worry- I'm down here."

"Zeph! You're awake! Here, let me help you up." Aqua says, taking a hold of one of Zeph's arms. "Oh dear... You've lost a lot of weight, even though you've grown. Zeph, don't try to-"

"Shh... Please... I think... I'll be okay." Zeph interrupts, leaning heavily on Aqua to stay upright- she has no trouble holding up his starved form.

"You've not eaten in months, we just about managed to get some water down you, but it's a wonder you're still alive" Aqua says as they walk through to the main room.

"*Cough*, *Cough* Hello everyone..." Zeph says.

"Zeph!" Lea exclaims, happy to see his friend.

"Zephyrus... It is truly a miracle to see you awake. I have observed your handiwork on liberating the sleeping worlds, from the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank and implore you. Although I truly wished for was for your safety, the revival of the sleeping worlds is a bonus indeed. For this reason, Zephyrus- I dub you, not a mere keyblade wielder, but a master. You've shown that you have got talent beyond measure, and now, you have experience too. It is an honour, Master Zephyrus." Yen Sid says.

"Master Yen Sid... I..." Zeph starts to say.

"Fast work- I gotta say, Zeph- you always did seem like a natural. There's just something about you... Anyway- don't think for a moment I'm not going to try to beat you for fastest time. Lea's going to show you just how quickly a Keyblade master can come into being! Got it memorised?" Lea says. "Also, welcome back to the land of the living- we've missed ya."

"Thanks Lea."

"Zeph... Congratulations. From the moment I set eyes on you in the realms of darkness I could tell you were a cut above... You're not only skilled at fighting, but your heart is in just the right place too. Thanks so much for everything, without you, I'd still be in that place."

"Aqua..." Zeph starts to say, he looks to the side of the room with nobody on it, tears starting to brim at his eyes. "Master Yen Sid, I-"

"Do not thank me, it is what you deserve. Now, come close so that I may bestow upon you the knowledge you are entitled to."

"I... Can't..."

"Zeph? Are you okay." Aqua asks, gently pushing him towards Yen Sid.

"I can't be a Keyblade master... I'm sorry Master Yen Sid, but not yet."

"Zeph! Do you-" Aqua pipes up.

"I feared you would say that... In your sleep, you recovered some of your past memories, and cannot live with yourself for not changing something?"

"I'm like a book, aren't I? You're right."

"Well, I will not be swayed! You, Zephyrus are a Keyblade master. I know it is not an honour you wish for, but it is one you must carry all the same."

"Thank you, Master Yen Sid. I am terribly sorry for my disrespect..." Zeph says, trying to cheer up.

"However, I will hear you out- it is the least I can do."

"It's a long story, so I'll just tell you what you need to know. In short- I remembered somebody... My best friend from when I was little. From my memory now, I can see that she had a heart to rival those of the seven princesses of heart."

"You wish to find her?"

"Yes... There's a slight complication though... This girl, Maydela... She... was taken by the Heartless."

Yen Sid sighs. "You wish to travel through time and save her?"

"If I would be allowed to."

"You understand the danger?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well... The task you speak of will very much be possible... However, first we will need to grant you your new clothes and Wayfinder. Go through to the room you were asleep in and see the fairies in there. They will assist you. Afterwards, come to me and I will help you to the time you wish to visit."

Aqua guides Zeph to the door, but doesn't follow him in.

Once Zeph is in the room, the three fairies from the Enchanted Dominion appear.

"Good morning, Zephyrus! It is wonderful news to see you awake. Now, we have been instructed to give you some new clothes. If you would stand still there for just a moment." The fairy clad in red says- Zeph feels like he should know their names, but decides asking now would ruin their concentration.

"Okay then, ladies! Let's have no more bickering this time! 1...2...3!"

The fairies cast their spell on Zeph, there is a huge flash of light, and Zeph feels his clothes changing.

Although remaining similar in style- a dark blue jacket with a paler undershirt and pretty standard trousers, Zeph can feel a huge difference.

"These garments are bestowed with our magic. Not only will they be able to transform into Keyblade armour, but they should transform you to a form suitable to any worlds you visit. They will also power-up your Wayfinder, making any Dimension-Links you perform much more powerful."

"Wow... Thanks so much!" Zeph says enthusiastically.

"Do not thank us, it is as much for our benefit as yours. Now, you had better go back and see what master Yen Sid has to say."

"Okay, see you later."

Zeph quickly walks back to the central room.

When he walks through the door, Aqua gives him a new Wayfinder.

"There you go- what happened to your old one?"

"I'm not sure... It just turned to dust when I tried to use it in the sleeping worlds... Thanks Aqua."

"No problem. You come back safe, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Zeph says, walking over to Yen Sid.

"Then you are ready? Do not spend any longer than is required in the past- you'll start damaging your heart if you force the Keyblade armour to stay there too long."

"Okay, thanks master. I'm ready."

"Good." The old Keyblade master says, casting the spell on Zeph and sending him back in time all those years...

 **Chapter 1: A Dark Past**

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"Zeph!" Maydela is shouting. Just as the Heartless are about to strike her, a huge flash of light cloaks the child of Zeph.

The flash clears, the Heartless have disappeared and so has Zeph. The child has been replaced by a suit of armour holding a key-shaped sword. The armour does down onto one knee.

"Maydela... I'm here to help you, okay? I may not look like him, but I'm Zeph from the future, come to help you. Stay close to me and don't whatever you do, let any of these thing even touch you." Zeph says- his voice a mixture of discordant screeches and his self from this time's.

"O-okay..." The young girl says, clearly terrified.

Zeph casts a powerful barrier spell around them and concentrates until he's sure it will sustain itself for long enough.

"Remember- wait right here until I come back." Zeph says, lightly patting Maydela's head. He then walks out of the safe zone, the Heartless have vastly reinforced their numbers, clearly they don't want to let this little girl go.

Zeph silently brandishes his Keyblade, striking down one, then another Heartless. For every single creature Zeph banishes, another appears to replace it- there must be at least a thousand of them by now. As he weighs up his options, Zeph notices that nothing in Twilight Town is moving save him, the Heartless and the little girl he is trying to protect.

Cursing, Zeph strikes down more and more Heartless, hoping that their endless numbers will subside, but to no avail.

If he had control of a mouth, Zeph would grit his teeth, but an almost empty suit of armour cannot do that very well, so Zeph simply pushes his way through the sea of dark forms, swinging Keyblade left and right, destroying all who come into contact with it.

As he reaches the edge of the common, Zeph notices something amiss in the small courtyard that was always infested by bees. He quickly dashes through the small corridor into the courtyard to see a figure cloaked in back leaving through one of those dark portals the Organisation use. Zeph makes to run through, but decides against doing so as this would put Maydela in danger. He closes the portal then rushes back to the common- the shield around his friend is on its last legs, so Zeph fights his way back to the centre.

"Here, climb up onto my shoulders." He says, crouching down to help her up. Timidly, she climbs up onto his back and Zeph stands up just as the barrier fails. Many Heartless pounce forwards, so Zeph casts a fire vortex around himself, destroying the all the assailants instantly. It appears that closing the portal has stopped the Heartless from being able to reach Twilight Town, as they do not seem to be reappearing. Spurred on by this realisation, Zeph fights with renewed vigour, lunging here, spinning there and feinting into and out of reach. The Heartless seem to start losing morale when they see how well Zeph is doing.

After a long time fighting, the Heartless all seem to have been defeated, and Zeph puts Maydela back on the floor.

"There you go, May. Safe and sound- you weren't hurt, were you?"

"Look out!" She shouts, pointing behind him. Zeph turns around, casting a fireball backwards. That figure seems to have returned. They block the spell and clap.

"Your perseverance is magnificent. Whoever you are, very well done. I'll leave this girl be for now." The figure says in a voice Zeph recognises to be Xehanort's.

Zeph runs at Xehanort with his Keyblade poised to strike.

"Oh, but that's just rude- be grateful for my sparing you. Now, it looks like you don't have long left here. Please, finish up and get back to your own time quickly, it really would put a spanner in the works if your heart were ruined." Xehanort says, swatting Zeph's keyblade away.

Reluctantly, Zeph decides Xehanort is right, so he stands down and goes back to Maydela.

watch?v=G7p_eglk_Q0

"Who was that?" She asks.

"It's a long story. Look, I can't stay here much more, so I need you to listen carefully. You can't tell _anyone_ what happened today, okay? Not even Zeph or your parents. You have to keep it a secret. In a few years' time, something that seems terrible will happen. May, not just for me and you, but for everyone, I need you to stay strong okay? I need to be going back to my own time soon, so-"

"Wait, Mr Zeph. What's going to happen?"

"I'm so sorry May, but I can't tell you now, because it might change the future. I can, however say that-" He summons his Keyblade. "This, when you next see my Keyblade, after that terrible thing has happened, you'll know it's over. Now, just before I go, I need one more favour from you." Switching his keyblade around so that he's holding the head and the handle is free and clearing his throat, Zeph says, "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder one day you shall be. And then, no secrets will kept, so long as you stay strong and never forget, you may find the truth your care does beget."

May puts her hand gingerly around the handle of the Keyblade.

"Never forget, May- this is our little secret... One that spans time itself." Zeph says. "There's always hope, no matter how bad things may be, there's always hope. That's what you said when you gave me this." Zeph says, showing the charm. May blushes.

"Sure is! Goodbye then, Mr Zeph!"

"Goodbye, May, you take care now. I'll see you in ten years or so. You go home now and stay safe. See you later." Zeph says, stepping back and saluting, then looking up, armour fading away, leaving the little boy none the wiser.

Zeph returns to the present with a smile on his face.

"Did it work?" Aqua asks.

"Sure did! I need to go to Twilight Town for a bit. Hopefully when I'm back, we'll have a new recruit." Zeph says.

With a bit more preparation and a lot of resisting Aqua insisting that she should come to, Zeph sets off to pick up his friend and finally hold himself to the promise he made all those years ago...

 **Chapter 2: Reunited**

watch?v=D3TpPnEqyBo

Zeph lands in Twilight Town and puts his hood up, making sure it completely shrouds his identity. He practices a voice that he can sustain for extended periods of time without horsing his throat. It is imperative that he gets this just right- he doesn't know Maydela at all, so only telling her who he is at the right time will be important.

Zeph goes to the Usual Spot under the train tracks to see if he can find Hayner, Pence and Olette.

"H-Hello? Can we help you?" Pence asks.

"Good morning. I have come bearing important news."

"News? For who?" Hayner asks.

"For a young woman of the name 'Maydela'. Do you know her? Do not fear for her safety, I am a friend, I simply cannot reveal my identity right now."

"She's... She usually puts flowers on Zephyrus's grave at this time. She took his loss much worse than everyone else." Olette says.

"Thank you." Zeph says, doing his best to remain calm at the mention of his own grave. "Might I ask where that is?"

"It's in the forest, you can get there through the hole in the wall at the Tram Common." Hayner says. "Whoever you are, please, just don't give her more bad news. She's had a hard enough time recently."

"I'm sure I will see you again soon, and you might recognise me. Thanks again, Hayner, Pence, Olette." Zeph says, turning around.

"He really does know us... Who could he be?" Pence asks his friends as Zeph leaves.

Zeph walks as quickly as he can to the forest without looking conspicuous. Thankfully, he doesn't run into Seifer's gang on the way and he soon reaches his destination.

Sure enough, there is a young woman with golden hair kneeling at a small headstone.

Doing his best not to startle her, Zeph moves forwards slowly.

"I am sorry for your loss." He says.

"Hm?" Maydela exclaims, getting up and turning to face Zeph. Just one look into her emerald eyes and Zeph has to look away. "Can I help you?" She wipes a tear off of her face.

"I have important news for you... About your friend Zephyrus."

"What do you mean? How do you know him?"

"Let's just say I know him better than most... It is a long story indeed, but if you have time, I'm sure you would appreciate hearing it."

"A story... About Zeph?"

"One that is completely true."

"Okay? I guess I'll listen. When does it happen?"

"The most important thing to know is that your friend is most certainly still alive and well. It all starts when he fell into that terrible coma... Well, a bit before, actually."

"Zeph is alive? Where is he?"

"That... I cannot say just yet. Would you like to sit down?"

"Sure, let's go to the old mansion." Maydela says, leading Zeph into the dining room where two chairs are still in working order. "Let's hear this story, then."

"Okay then. ' Every story needs a hero, however great or small- whatever they might be. Even if something, or someone seems far more important elsewhere, even the smallest deeds, require their hero...'"

watch?v=tSb3UJsHQNI

So Zeph tells her his entire story, right through until when he traveled time to save his friend.

"That's an amazing story... It really happened? All of that? How do you know? Please, tell me who you are!" May says.

"Do you believe the story? I can only tell you who I am if you accept the story to be true."

"I guess I do, if it will let me know who you are."

"I can give evidence, but I cannot prove it." Zeph says, slowly changing to his normal voice. "May... I'm so sorry."

"That voice... No..."

Zeph summons his Keyblade.

"You're? I'm dreaming..."

Zeph takes his hood down. "I'm back, May, if only for a short while."

"No! You're not! Why would I do this to myself?" Maydela says, tears streaming down her face.

Zeph gets up and puts his hand on her shoulder. She jumps as her real sense of real touch is activated.

"I'm here... You're not dreaming." Zeph says, but as soon as her teary eyes meet his, he has too look away again. "May... I should've said goodbye... I should've come back. I'm the worst friend you could ever have. Now I've just made it worse... I'm sorry."

"What are you saying? You're my best friend, and you always have been. You couldn't have said goodbye. When you left, I didn't exist. Zeph, I'm just happy to see you again." May says, her voice weak and tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"Even if that is true... I... I can't..." Zeph starts to say.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence! You might... You might have forgotten everything about us beyond a few memories. Maybe your mind doesn't know, but I'm sure your heart does. It might not be easy for you coming back, just remember, even if you don't know it... Even if I'm not your best friend- you're mine. If you need some time to get used to me again, that's fine. You've probably changed a lot too. We can go through this together, right? Just like old times."

"I... Thanks, May... Look, I..."

"No! No you don't need to apologise any more! It's me who needs to apologise... For what I'm about to do..." May says, getting up and hugging Zeph. He shakes so hard they both nearly fall over. "Zeph... You're back..."

"May... Listen..." She goes to put her finger over his mouth and stop him from talking, but he moves her hand away and gently pushes her off of him. "I can't stay long. The battle with Xehanort is far from over, and I wouldn't want to put Twilight Town in danger."

"O-Oh..." Maydela says, her head sinking towards the floor.

"I'm so sorry to even ask you this, May... But if you want... And only if you want to, then it would be an honour to have you by our side, fighting against the darkness."

"Me? What can I do?"

"Remember when I came to rescue you? I let you hold my Keyblade?"

"Yeah..."

"That was a special ritual, which gives you the gift. In short, with training, you should be able to use a Keyblade too."

"Let me get this straight... You disappear for a year. Then you come back, disguised and refuse to tell me who you are until you've told me what happened over that year. And... And now you're asking me to go too?"

Zeph winces.

"Zeph... That's just such a 'you' thing to do! I'm so glad you're okay! I scared you there, didn't I?"

"May... This isn't something to be joking about. Don't let my presence change your decision. The train leaves at 4:00. If you want to come with me, you'll know which train it is. The decision to come isn't final, I can bring you back if you decide against coming when we're on our way, but I doubt I'll be able to come back here to get you if you decide you do want to come after 4:00 today. Take your time and make the decision for yourself, not for my benefit, okay?"

"Okay..." Maydela says, not making any movement.

"See you again some time." Zeph says, leaving her be.

 **Chapter 3: Departure**

watch?v=n0pn530N9hE

Zeph is sitting in the train, cuddling his legs and crying.

"What was I thinking? Of course she wouldn't come... I just appear after a year, then leave again. She probably hates me... I guess that makes sense... Who wouldn't?" He thinks to himself. "I guess it was worth the try."

The time gets to 3:30 and May still hasn't shown up.

Zeph has summoned his Keyblade and is examining its awakened form. The thing is clearly recognisable as the same Keyblade, but that doesn't mean it isn't very different to before. He hears footsteps outside so be makes his Keyblade disappear and tries to compose himself.

"You sure it was him?"

"Positive!"

"Well... Try to come back soon. Take care."

"I'll see if I can get him to come out and say goodbye. No promises, though."

A few seconds after hearing this, May's face pops around the side of the carriage.

"May? You're coming with me?" Zeph says.

She walks in towards him.

"You've been crying... What's wrong?"

"I thought I'd never see you again."

"Sorry I took so long, I was saying goodbye to everyone. Olette, Hayner and Pence came to see you off. Why don't you come out and wish them well?"

"Do you want them to see me like this?"

May steps back and looks Zeph up and down.

"You really have lost a lot of weight... You're practically a walking skeleton. Are you sure you can keep fighting like that?"

"I'll be fine. Sure, I'll come say goodbye."

Zeph steps out of the train to see his old friends waiting for him.

"Zeph! It's really you! How've you been, buddy?" Hayner says, holding out a hand.

"Are you okay?" Olette asks. "You look half starved... What happened?"

"Olette's right. May told us a bit about what happened. Do you know Sora, then?" Pence asks.

"It's a long story, but basically I got wrapped up in the same thing as Sora. I look like this because I was just asleep for about 4 months, and the people who were looking after me couldn't make me eat anything. I should probably get going now, it's been great to see you again, sorry didn't show my face earlier, I didn't want to startle anybody."

"You don't put yourself in too much danger- sounds like we have a lot to catch up on." Hayner says.

"Take good care of May for us." Olette requests.

"But don't forget about yourself! Get us some nice stories to listen to when you're back! See you!" Pence says with a wave.

"Goodbye everyone- I'm sure you were great friends to me... Shame I don't know... Take care!" Zeph says with a salute. "Come on, May, let's be going."

"Bye guys! Have a good time without us!" May says, waving goodbye.

The two friends get onto the train and the door closes.

"You're sure you want to come with me? You still have time to decide."

"Stop being like that! As if I'd let you go anywhere without me! You'll go getting yourself into trouble again without me being there to help. Seriously, though, I wouldn't want anything less than to have the chance to be with you again, even if it means I have to fight. I always did love magic and stuff, so who knows? I might even enjoy it."

"Then your mind's made up? I'll start the train now." Zeph says, closing his eyes and telling the train to depart. May walks over to the window and starts waving out to her friends, Zeph joins her shortly afterwards.

Once they've gone out of sight, Zeph and May go and sit back down.

"Seems like we have a lot to catch up on, Zeph." She says.

"Yeah, we do. I really don't want to go out of line- how close friends were we?"

May blushes, "We were very close. As friends, of course, we were virtually inseparable."

"Oh, okay. Ugh... I hate this whole memory loss ordeal..."

"Don't worry, Zeph- I can make allowances. Just be yourself, you won't offend me."

"Thanks, May. Is there anything you don't understand from my story?"

"I... Don't think so. Master Yen Sid will fill me in when we're there, right?"

"He probably will. Thanks again for being so nice, May. And... Sorry about me being so... Underconfident."

"Don't worry- that's no different from normal for you. How does this whole Keyblade training stuff work?"

"Hopefully Master Yen Sid will assign me as your teacher, or at least assistant teacher and I'll be able to help you to learn. How about we get a head start?"

"Sure!"

Zeph gets up and stands in the middle of the carriage. He holds his hand out.

"Let's start with summoning. It's easiest if you do it like this. Concentrate on your Keyblade and will it to appear, flick your wrist up and close your hand." Zeph does so and his Keyblade appears with an especially brilliant flash. "It takes some getting used to, but once you've got it, then you should be able to do it without even thinking. Come on, you have a go."

Maydela gets up and stands next to Zeph, taking up the same pose as him.

"Concentrate- close your eyes if it helps." Zeph encourages.

She does the wrist flick, but nothing happens. She tries again a few times, but to no avail.

"You're working yourself up too much. Watch carefully." Zeph does the process again. "Here take a hold of that- you see how it feels?" He asks, giving May his Keyblade.

Now, try making mine disappear and reappear- it's pretty tame, so it might obey you, especially if I tell it to.

May makes the Keyblade disappear without being told how.

"There, you're a natural, now just do the same thing in reverse."

She manages to make Zeph's Keyblade appear in her hand.

"Great. Now try to get your own to show itself" Zeph says, gently patting her on the back and resummoning his own Keyblade.

Maydela holds her hand out and closes her eyes, concentrating hard, then she flicks her wrist up and closes her hand. This time, her Keyblade appears. It is floral in design, with leaf-like structures along it, and Zeph can't help but see something of the scythe that creature used in it.

"There you go! Well done!" Zeph says. "Now, make it disappear."

May concentrates and tries to make her Keyblade disappear. She opens her hand prematurely and Zeph has to pull her Keyblade into his hand to stop it falling on her foot.

"Yeah... Don't even open your hand until it's gone..." Zeph says "Good effort, though- it's obvious why I chose you to be my friend."  
"Oh shush! I can't even make this thing disappear... Also... No fair! That one's mine!"

"Can't take a compliment? Yeah... Me neither." Zeph says with a giggle.

The train starts to slow down.

"We're pretty much there now- I'd sit back down so it doesn't throw you over when the train actually stops."

So the two go and sit down again for the final few minutes of the train ride...

 **Chapter 4: Dawn of a New Light**

watch?v=a9aRvZj_MiQ

Once the train has stopped, Zeph gets up and holds out his hand to his friend.

"I can get up on my own you know!" She says, ignoring it.

"Hey... You've been toying with me a fair amount, it's only fair if I get to do so for you too. Stay close- this place is generally safe, but sometimes Heartless do manage to slip in. You might be on your way to training, but it's worth being careful just in case."

He starts to walk out onto the floating island where the Mysterious Tower is situated and feels a gentle brushing against his arm as May hurries to catch up and stand next to him.

"Do you need to hold my hand, you scaredy cat?" Zeph jokes. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's safe."

"To be honest... I wouldn't mind if you're offering..." May says.

"Oh... Sorry for joking about it if you're actually scared." Zeph lets May take his left hand and to provide her extra reassurance, he summons his Keyblade. "Look, I'm glad you were honest about this. I was scared to when I first started to travel between worlds. Just stay close and we should be fine."

Zeph leads May up the tower. Thankfully nothing attacks them and they make it to the top without many complications besides May's minor panic when the doors close themselves behind her. At the top of the tower, Zeph stops.

"This is the top, so be respectful and polite. I'm not sure who will be there, but Master Yen Sid will be for certain. And don't worry, I'll stand next to you, but I don't want to give people the wrong idea, so I'm not going to hold your hand."

"That seems fair."

Zeph opens the door and steps in.

Zeph scans the room in an instant- only Aqua and Master Yen Sid are there.

"Hello again. I've brought my friend Maydela. Where is everyone else?"

"Welcome back Zeph! Lea went to go and tell Sora, Riku and Ven to come back here. Kairi is at Destiny Islands with her friends." Aqua says, cheerfully.

Zeph pokes his head back out of the door.

"Come on then! They don't bite." He whispers to May.

Reluctantly at first, May follows Zeph into the room.

"Here she is. I don't know if she's always been this shy, but yeah!" Zeph says cheerfully.

"Hello! I'm May, Zeph's friend from before... That all happened." May says, looking around. Her eyes meet Aqua's and Zeph thinks he sees some exchange happen just through that look, but he can't understand it.

"You have returned. Welcome back, or should I say 'welcome'? Your name is Maydela, correct?"

"Y-Yes..."

"My name is Yen Sid. I used to be a Keyblade master, but now I prefer less... strenuous pursuits. Your friend Zephyrus has told you why he brought you here?"

"He has... I want to become a Keyblade wielder and help him fight the darkness."

"Is that your true desire? It is not too late to turn back now. If you seek only to be with your friend, he will have all the time in the world once Xehanort is dealt with."

Zeph looks at May, his eyes saying that she should make the choice for herself, not for what she thinks he would prefer.

"Yes. Zeph has told me about Xehanort and it seems that he must be stopped at all costs. If this is the way to secure the future for the worlds, then it would be an honour to play a part in it."

"Well done, you have shown that you do not hesitate even when difficult questions are passed your way. The ability not to panic will no doubt prove invaluable to you in battle. Zephyrus can vouch for this, but he cannot speak from experience!"

"Hey!"

"Zeph always did seem the type to panic. I remember when I used to sneak up on him and try to make him jump. Once he actually fell over!"

"You're supposed to-"

"Do not panic Zephyrus- you'll only prove our point. I fear Sora may have gotten to me... Now where was I? Ah yes. Maydela, for your training to begin, I will first need to teach you the very basics. Knowledge of your foes is equally as important as knowing how to use your own attacks. Aqua and Zephyrus, feel free to do what you like for now, just please do not interrupt my teaching."

Zeph sidles up to Aqua as Master Yen Sid starts giving May a lecture about Heartless, and the two quickly go through the door and into the side room.

"Poor May..."

"What do you mean?"

"I've already told her everything that Master Yen Sid told me, so she's going to have to go through it twice."

"Knowledge of your enemy is important, Zeph. But yeah... Poor her."

"So, anyway- how have you been?"

"I've been well... Just a bit worried about you. I helped Master Yen Sid training Kairi and Lea, nothing really that interesting. You, however, do have a lot to say."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to wait until everyone is here- it's a long story to say thrice."

"Okay then... Did you remember anything else about her?"

"Who?"

"You know who I mean."

"Oh, May? No, not really. She said we were pretty close friends right up until I went to sleep the first time, but I'll just have to take her word for it."

"That's a shame. Well... I guess you remembered that one memory which let you save her, so that's great."

"Did something happen whilst I was gone? You seem somehow troubled."

"Oh... I'm just worried about Ven and the others. Seems like I can't stop worrying these days." Aqua sighs.

"Don't worry, your friends are here to help. I'm sure that you and May are going to get along great. She's had her fair share of worrying, so you can exchange strategies or something." Zeph says, but he's not convinced. "Look... If you don't like her, that's fine. Just don't let that get in the way. I'm not sure what that look meant, but yeah- try to get along."

"Zeph... It'll be fine. It isn't that I don't like her. It's just... Are you sure that was the right thing to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's clear to me that your heart is somehow tied to hers... I don't know why, but her heart seemed to be almost... Almost like it was a duplicate of yours. Just for a moment, that shocked me and I think she took that the wrong way. I'm sure it'll be fine between us, but I'm just worried. If something happens to her again, even if you don't know about it, I fear it could still rip your heart to shreds."

"Aqua... I know that happens to me a lot, but-"

"Zeph, this is important. You just make sure nothing happens to either of you, okay?"

"Why do I need to do that alone?"

"That's the Zeph I know. Yeah- I'll do my best to take care of both of you."

"And I'll do my best to take care of you, her and everyone else. Oh, by the way, look at this." Zeph summons his Keyblade "Pretty cool, huh?"

"What happened to it?" Aqua gasps.

"It woke up, just like I did."

There comes a knock on the door.

"Zeph... A-Aqua? Master Yen Sid would like to speak with you all. Kairi and everyone else just got back, too."

Zeph quickly goes to the door and opens it.

"May, you're fine with names- what was that hesitation? Come on, Aqua!"

"I'm just... She looked at me as if..."

"She was just shocked to see how amazing your heart is, don't worry."

Aqua walks over after a short delay- Zeph can't help but worry that he will have done more harm than good by introducing an extra target for Xehanort.

Zeph walks through into the central room and is quickly bombarded with greetings.

"Zeph! You're okay! Welcome back!" Sora says.

"Good to see you back up and running, Zeph." Riku says.

"Nice to meet you, Zeph- I don't think we actually met before you fell asleep. I'm Kairi!"

"Looks like you're much better at the whole sleeping ordeal than I am, Zeph- thanks again." Ventus says.

"Hello again everyone, it's so great to see you again. Sorry about going to sleep like that and just leaving you on your own for a while... Anyway- this is my friend Maydela. I'm not sure how much you will have spoken already, so I'll leave introductions to her." Zeph cheerfully says.

"It's great to meet all of you. I'm May, as Zeph was saying, we were friends a while back, but then some stuff happened. In any case, I'm here now and I'd love to help you all out."

Everyone else introduces themselves to May.

"Now, Zephyrus, I believe you have a story to tell us. Given the delay, I assume that there were... complications on the way to your waking up?"

"That is correct, Master Yen Sid. Okay, so I fall asleep and..." Zeph tells them the story of what happened in the sleeping worlds and also about his adventure trying to save May.

"So May is?" Sora asks, shocked.

"She was... So-"

"Zeph, it wasn't your fault then, and you saved me when you could. Maybe you don't remember anything about us being friends, but it doesn't matter- it will still be easier to become friends again with you than making a new friend entirely. In any case, I hope we can all get along and be friends. I'm sorry if I get things wrong, but I'll do my best."

"Now, that is enough chatting for today. I fear that this time of peace will be short-lived. Xehanort might still be rethinking his strategy, but that will not take him long. For this reason, the newer Keyblade wielders must continue their training posthaste. Zephyrus, you should train with them to get your body back to the way it should be. Sora, Ventus, I would speak with you. Aqua, Zephyrus and Riku, you are in charge of the training for now." Yen Sid says.

A few blissfully uneventful weeks pass. Zeph is able to restore some of his body mass, but is still quite underweight. May has leant the ropes of the Keyblade and magic, but hasn't yet experience battle. By now, May has become friends with the entire group and Zeph has started to remember a little more about her. However, Xehanort has leant from Zeph's experiences in the sleeping worlds, and has now set a new plan into motion...

"Everyone, I regret to inform you that I sense Xehanort is at work once again." Master Yen Sid says after stopping everyone from their usual business.

"What's happening?" Sora asks.

"I sense a foul darkness coming from Radiant Garden... There seem to be creatures there that are different from the Heartless, but aren't Nobodies either. I fear something terrible is at work here, so I will send the best of you to investigate. Aqua, Riku, Sora and Zephyrus, you have the most experience here. Ventus, I am sorry, but I cannot risk sending a team that is too large. If anything big seems to be happening, contact us with your Wayfinders, I will send Zephyrus and Lea to help. Kairi and Maydela, I do not wish to throw you into the fray just yet."

"I understand, Master." Ventus says.

"Don't worry, if you need me, I'm always here to bail you out." Lea reassures.

"Do not take any risks without first informing me. Good luck, Sora, Riku, Aqua, Ventus." Master Yen Sid says.

"Don't worry about me, May- I've been through this kind of thing before a whole load. See you everyone- we'll try to be back for dinner!" Zeph says. The team get everything they need ready, say their goodbyes and head off to investigate...

 **Chapter 5: It All Begins Again**

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Zeph and the team land outside Merlin's house and quickly head inside to make sure everyone is okay.

"Sora! Riku! Zeph! You're here? Thank goodness. Something really messed up is going on. There seem to be really strong creatures of darkness surfacing all over, but I think they're coming from The Great Maw." Leon says.

"Leon! Where's Cloud?" Sora asks. "Is he back yet?"

"Nope... I'm sorry guys, but I can't go with you- I need to stay here and keep the town safe. Especially with Cloud still missing it isn't going to be easy- we really appreciate you help. It looks like you have an introduction to give me when you're back- I look forward to it. Now, please, hurry!" Leon says.

"Come on, Sora." Riku says. "I'm sure Cloud is fine, but we need to help the people we know for certain are still alive right now."

Sora follows Zeph, Riku and Aqua after a short wait.

Nothing attacks them until they reach the Bailey, where they encounter their first foe.

Its appearance is similar to that of a Dusk, however it is black and the pulsating lines of colour along its sides are red. The emblem on its face is similar to the one on the scythe wielding creature Zeph found in his heart. The zip on the creature's mouth opens to reveal a dark face with glowing yellow eyes.

"What is that?" Aqua starts to ask.

"It's a Heartless and a Nobody fused together." Zeph says, "There was one similar to it in my heart. I've no idea how they came about, but they're certainly much more powerful than their uncombined forms."

The creature writhes forwards and attacks, but the four Keyblade wielders strike it. It is sent recoiling, but isn't destroyed.

"Okay, I see what you mean now." Riku says, "Looks like we're going to have to focus on not taking hits and defending because these things are certainly durable."

Before anyone can finish it off, the creature starts moving down towards The Great Maw.

"It's clearly a trap..." Sora says, "But I guess we have to spring it, right?"

"There are four of us here- I'm sure so long as we're careful we'll be okay." Aqua says.

The creature leads them to The Great Maw, then stops.

"End of the line, huh?" Riku asks.

"Looks like we've got company!" Aqua says as more of the creatures appear around the party.

Zeph summons his Keyblade and goes into stance, wondering what force it is that makes darkness hate light so much and vice versa. One cannot exist without the other, else all is nothingness. A flash of light crosses Zeph's vision and he hears Xemnas:

"Nothingness is eternal!"

Zeph feels himself being pushed aside and collapses onto the ground with a thought in his head:

"I thought this would all stop now... Maybe my heart is still getting used to itself." He closes his eyes and concentrates on the present and slowly feels his senses coming back.

Zeph is surrounded by his friends and lying on the ground. They are fighting as hard as they can to stop the creatures getting a hold of him. Zeph pulls himself up with an apology.

"You sure you're strong enough, Zeph? We can get Ven and Lea instead." Aqua says.

"I'm fine... It's just something that happens to me when a memory that isn't mine comes through." Zeph says, lashing out at the nearest of the dark creatures.

The four Keyblade wielders continue to fight for many minutes more, but don't seem to be getting far with respect to destroying kind of significant number of their enemies.

"There must be some other way... This is hopeless." Sora says.

Zeph looks around, trying to see through the masses of the Heartless-Nobodies. Something seems to be coming from The Dark Depths.

"Okay people... I want you to forgive me for what I'm about to do." Zeph says, pushing past his friends, casting magic left and right to keep his enemies back and running into towards where he thinks the source of the problem is.

"Zeph! What are you doing?" They shout after him, but he cannot stop now.

watch?v=ENKJ2QASfmI

Zeph pushes his way through the cave and jumps out to The Dark Depths with a roll.

There seems to be some kind of dark mass at the edge of the cliff.

Zeph walks towards it and suddenly a Dusk and Soldier appear on either side. They then get shot by some kind of magnet beam and slowly fall apart, breaking into their components. The Heartless, a heart and a mass of darkness, the Nobody, those strange jagged lines. The strange mass of darkness absorbs both and starts to glow, before the front opens up and releases one of the creatures Zeph was fighting earlier.

Zeph takes a firm grip of his Keyblade and charges forward, striking the creature off the cliff.

As he does so, a Twilight Thorn rises out of the ground, along with a Guard Armour. Zeph's heart sinks as he realises what's about to happen.

Suddenly there is a flash of light and time appears to stop.

"It is marvelous, is it not?" A voice Zeph knows only too well says.

"What the heck are you doing Xehanort?" Zeph asks, turning around.

"I have created the perfect beings to find me a darkness powerful enough! The contraption you see before you is what I have coined a 'Heartforge'. It is a machine capable of taking a Heartless and Nobody and fusing them together. What comes out is a very powerful being that I like to call one of 'The Deprived'. Guess who I have to thank for the idea?" Xehanort says, touching Zeph's chest.

"How is that even possible?" Zeph asks.

"All it takes is a heart powerful enough to focus the darkness and nothingness together. I've got plenty of those, so it is no real issue."

"All of these Heartforges contain your heart?"

"Yes. And they will defend themselves. I am surprised to see that it has already learned how to coax such powerful beings to appear. Now I need only wait until until of my Deprived is able to create a Heartless and Nobody from somebody powerful enough, then the Heartforge will put my heart into the result rather than the Heartless's one. I will have my 13 darknesses and the X Blade will be one step closer to completion."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're not going to have the chance to relay the information to your friends, of course! Count out how many lights you have."

"There's Sora, Riku, Aqua, Ven, The King, Kairi and... May..." A shiver goes down Zeph's spine.

"That's right. I've no need for you, not anymore. That 'Lea' may also throw a spanner in the works, so I'll have to deal with him too, but no matter. Such a shame Sora made Cloud and his darkness disappear, they could have made such great candidates... Also, if you think that destroying this Heartforge means anything at all, you're in for a surprise."

Zeph gasps as he realises the scale of Xehanort's plan. "Do you have any idea what you're doing anymore, Xehanort?"

"I know full well what I'm doing. Ask yourself that same question. Now, I need to get back to my administration duties- I'm a very busy man." Xehanort snaps his fingers and time resumes.

watch?v=ImOimQcHFp0

The Twilight Thorn and Guard Armour are absorbed by the Heartforge, and Zeph feels himself being pulled into it too, but in a different way.

Zeph blinks and is suddenly standing on a vast plane of nothingness with darkness swirling around just above the floor.

A Twilight Thorn with the same colour scheme as The Deprived outside appears, then its entire skin starts to quiver and change shape.

With a terrible ripping and cracking sound, the creature grows a suit of armour around itself. Zeph tries to summon his Keyblade, but it can't seem to reach him. Trying not to panic, he thinks back to what Xehanort was saying...

"A heart of darkness, huh? Not going to find one here. And you're not going to get rid of me that easily." Zeph thinks, concentrating and starting to emanate a radiant light.

The Deprived cannot reach him, but he still cannot use his Keyblade, so he grabs his Wayfinder and contacts Aqua. He feels his clothes reacting to this connection.

"Aqua?"

"Zeph! You've done it again! Am I going to have to put you on a lead?"

Zeph tries to tell Aqua what Xehanort was saying, but the Wayfinder suddenly stops glowing.

Hoping that even that short communication was enough for Aqua to triangulate his location, Zeph looks up at his foe, which seem to be able to approach him now.

"Okay then, big guy? It's an unfair fight, but I'll give it a shot." Zeph says, readying himself to evade and cast magic a lot.

Zeph does his best to dodge his foe and strike back with magic, but quickly becomes tired.

"You couldn't go a little easy? Ugh... Could you? I've... Just been asleep for a while. No? I guess not..." Zeph says, while doing his best to dodge the attacks. He jumps back as his enemy brings its arm down and he quickly runs forwards, jumping onto it. Zeph hurries up to the creature's neck and does his best to gain a secure hold.

The creature tries to throw Zeph off, then suddenly stops moving. Zeph relaxes his grip for a moment and rests. Suddenly, there is a stab of pain in his back and he is sent flying from the creature's back by one of those jagged line beams attacks.

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Landing hard, Zeph just about manages to roll over backwards and stop his neck from breaking, but he is winded and badly hurt, unable to get up.

"Heh... Looks like... This really is the end..." Zeph sighs, his ribs aching with every breath he takes.

"N-No... I can't... I won't... I still have a promise to keep... He said he could depend on me... I won't fail!" Zeph says through gritted teeth as he tries to get up.

Suddenly, his chest starts to glow and faintly somebody appears in front of him.

"The sadness of knowing you forgot someone that matters... Will gnaw at you forever."

The person turns around and reaches out a hand.

"Roxas, I need you to do me a favour..."

"Was my master, no my _father_ not enough for you?"

"No! I've got a better idea... How about I destroy you _both_?"

The figure in front of Zeph flashes, changing from first, resembling Xion, then Terra, then Ventus and finally himself.

"Too much... Hangs on me...I can't..." Zeph says.

Suddenly, the Deprived starts to glow. It screeches, then starts to speak from the memories Zeph harbours in his heart.

"Was I the one... Who did this to you?" It says in Roxas's voice.

Zeph is about to speak, when the figure in front of him speaks up, summoning her Keyblade.

"Yes... Yes you were! But I won't let you finish it!" Xion's voice rings out. "Without him, Sora... Roxas can't go on. I don't care if I'm a sham... Everyone might have forgotten about me... But not him. Zeph... You can't die, not yet. You're Sora's only chance..." She says, running forward and attacking Zeph enemy.

"Xehanort has gone too far and must be stopped. Master Zephyrus- it is an honour for memories of me to have a place in your heart. Remember not to let the dark cloud your vision as it did mine and you surely will prevail." Master Eraqus's voice sounds and sure enough, he appears in the darkness, Keyblade in hand and rushes in to fight.

"Hmph. You might be weak and stupid too, but it sounds like they might be right. The light and dark must be of equal power for the X Blade to be forged, and I don't think your dumb little girlfriend will cut it." Zeph is shocked to see Vanitas appear, "I'm not helping _you_ , okay? Don't get the wrong idea." He says, running in and engaging Zeph's adversary in combat.

After lying there for a few more moment's Zeph's strength has recuperated enough for him to cast Curaga on himself, after doing so, he gets up and readies himself to go back to the fight.

"I won't let myself be defeated. Sorry to disappoint you, Xehanort, but looks like my heart has more tricks up its sleeves than you'd anticipated." Zeph says, clutching his wayfinder to his chest.

"That's the spirit, Zeph! No matter what happens- don't give up! We're all rooting for you." A voice Zeph didn't think he'd ever hear again sounds. "You're going to just let this place stop you from using your Keyblade? Where's the Zeph who convinced somebody else's Keyblade to come to him even after they'd died? Bring him back."

Zeph's Wafinder starts to glow and holding back tears, Zeph feels a power starting to course through him.

"Zeph, I've always been here, but just beyond the edge. Now it's time for that to end- use my power and finish this thing off!"

"But... Laz..." Zeph hesitates at the thought of losing his friend again.

"No buts! You're a Keyblade master now, you need to accept that I'm gone! My Keyblade and my power are yours- just take them and use them."

"Okay... Goodbye, my friend." Zeph mutters, concentrating on his Wayfinder, he feels an intense power rush over him, and his clothes change to a brilliant white.

Zeph summons his Keyblade, Xion's Keyblade, Laz's Keyblade and Master Eraqus's Keyblade, two in his hands and two floating around him.

Zeph charges forwards and jumps into the air, going into a storm of strikes and spins.

Zeph's enemy is left paralysed by the relentless assault, and Zeph kicks off its face, throwing the four Keyblades together at where his legs just pushed off.

They all stick in place, and then Zeph channels the energy of light through each, creating a huge beam of light which destroys The Deprived instantly.

His clothes revert to their original blue tones and Zeph falls to the ground, all the Keyblades but his own disappearing.

Suddenly, a light appears in the centre of the gentle vortex of darkness. The light spreads further and further out until it reaches Zeph and he feels himself being brought back to Radiant Garden.

Zeph's eyes open and he is facing the Heartforge, it seems to have been damaged by the battle inside it, so Zeph leaps forwards and strikes it with his Keyblade.

The machine falls into two pieces and fade away and Zeph notices a huge number of hearts and the jagged lines rising from The Great Maw. Zeph blows a sigh of relief and hurries to meet his friends and make sure they're okay.

"Right, you! What did you think you were doing there!" Aqua shouts the moment Zeph emerges from the cave. "Why do you always just go off and do your own thing like that? You could have gotten us all killed!"

Riku and Sora run up and pat Zeph on the shoulders.

"Well done, Zeph! Whatever you did, it worked." Sora says

"Don't you two encourage him! He'll just-"

"Sometimes even I can see when people are too serious." Riku laughs. "Aqua, give him a break- whatever he did saved us."

The group of four go back to town and make sure everything is okay and also introducing Aqua to everyone else. Nothing appears to be out of place now, so they set off back to the Mysterious Tower so that Zeph can report to Master Yen Sid about what Xehanort said...


End file.
